


To Be Loved

by heonniebread



Series: Monster Fuckers [3]
Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Alternate Universe - Vampire, Biting, Blood, Consensual Kink, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Explicit Sexual Content, Humor, M/M, Mild Gore, Minor Violence, Off-Screen Murder, Past Character Death, Romance, Smut, Sugar Daddy, Supernatural Hunters, Werewolves, Witches, dark themes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:33:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 42,554
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27620735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heonniebread/pseuds/heonniebread
Summary: Changkyun doesn’t know how much more he can give until Kihyun understands how much he really loves him.
Relationships: Im Changkyun | I.M/Yoo Kihyun
Series: Monster Fuckers [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2019404
Comments: 23
Kudos: 137





	To Be Loved

**Author's Note:**

> Sequel to Red!!
> 
> this fic is, for the most part, light-hearted. they're going to be grossly domestic and cute, but there are some darker themes, and a lot of blood. 
> 
> also!!! i put this in the same universe as my markbeom 'where the earth meets the sky.' you dont have to read it to understand mark and jaebeom's here. i just??? did a lot of research and put a lot of time into the world building in the markbeom and wanted to play a little more with it, and decided to put them in the same universe.  
> 

It’s lunch hour and Changkyun and Hyunwoo are out, trying to enjoy a cool summer day, when they end up venturing near Chae Industries. The building is in the center of the business district, surrounded by other towering companies and lots of little gems, so it’s not hard to end up in the area. Then Hyunwoo insists they check in on Changkyun’s allusive boyfriend to see if he’d eaten yet and it’s so sweet and supportive that Changkyun gets a little choked up even though Changkyun already knows the answer to that: No.

Kihyun doesn’t eat, he doesn’t need lunch. But Hyunwoo doesn’t know that, why would he know that? Two years into Changkyun and Kihyun’s relationship and Changkyun still hasn’t told Hyunwoo and Wonho about the whole vampire thing.

But it’s impossible to say no to Hyunwoo’s offer, since Changkyun has a key card to the damn building, and Hyunwoo is really trying to be a good friend, and Hyunwoo says he’s willing to wait for Kihyun to get out of his meeting. Having friends (mostly: a boyfriend) in high places gets Changkyun things he's never thought he'd ever have (like a keycard to Chae industries, one of the biggest companies in the world.) Changkyun gets them in, and Hyunwoo bows politely to the man in the elevator and marvels at the long corridors, and looks surprised when Kihyun's secretary recognizes Changkyun and offers them coffee while she rings Kihyun.

“What’s up?” Joy smiles at Changkyun, getting up and throwing her arms open for a hug. Changkyun moves in to hug her.

“Waiting for Kihyun, how are you?”

Joy lights up like she has something to share, but the phone rings. She _tsks_ in frustration and goes to answer it, using a flowery tone and making a face at Changkyun while she talks into the receiver. Whatever it is must be important, because she sits back in the chair and moves the computer mouse, telling the person on the other line that she’ll check on Mr. Yoo’s schedule. Changkyun turns back to Hyunwoo. He had meant to introduce him and Joy.

The space outside Kihyun's office is wide and open, well decorated with a fish tank covering the wall behind the secretaries that Changkyun thinks is a little too over the top. He looks over to Seulgi’s desk that’s empty. Changkyun makes eye contact with Joy and points at Seulgi’s desk. Joy makes a motion with her hands, like bringing chopsticks up to her mouth.

Ah, okay, she’s out to lunch. Changkyun will text her to let her know he stopped by.

While they wait for Kihyun and Joy gets tied up on the phone, Minhyuk comes out. Lee Minhyuk is the embodiment of ‘looks can really be deceiving,’ because Minhyuk is the VP of Marketing for Chae Industries, has a smile that outshines the sun, brown hair that’s never out of place but still so, so soft, and over-all, acts like an angel walking on the Earth. But he’s a vampire, and has a glint in his eyes that says he’s scared of no one. When Minhyuk looks between Changkyun and Hyunwoo, his expression softens, introducing himself to Hyunwoo with a polite bow.

“Meeting’s over, Kihyun-sshi’s coming.” Minhyuk says with a smile, then turns back to Hyunwoo. “I’m Lee Minhyuk, who are you?” Minhyuk doesn’t want Changkyun to introduce him, he wants to introduce himself.

Their conversation fades off to Changkyun’s side as Kihyun comes out of his office.

Kihyun slipped out early that morning foran early meeting with some American investors. He had told Changkyun he was leaving, it couldn’t of been later than six, and he’d leaned over the bed to give Changkyun a kiss good-bye, but Changkyun had barely opened his eyes while mumbling, “Have a good day at work,” so he gets a little tongue tied when he sees his boyfriend come into the reception area, waist cinched in a well fitted suit, a colorful button-down peeking out underneath. He looks like he belongs on the cover of Forbes magazine with his hair pushed back, brows perfectly shaped, diamond earrings completing his expensive ensemble. Even Hyunwoo’s impressed, eyes scanning the two men in flattering suits before he glances at Changkyun.

Here are the things Hyunwoo and Wonho know about Kihyun: He works for Chae Industries, he drives an Audi, he makes decent money, he likes to vacation in Europe. They think he likes Korean food the best, they think he graduated from Seoul University, they think he has family in Goyang. That’s about it.

Hyunwoo must be looking at Kihyun’s cufflinks and necklace and solid gold watch and trying to fill in a picture that Changkyun won’t give him. He might be the quietest one between him, Wonho and Changkyun, but the connections he snaps together while people think it’s empty up there is a perfect example of _it’s always the quiet ones_. Changkyun suspects that Hyunwoo knows there’s more to Kihyun and Changkyun’s relationship that gets let on. Because when Changkyun has to lie, and omit information, it sometimes blows back in his face, and he’ll forget if he said that Kihyun does or doesn’t like mint chocolate ice cream. And that’s such a hot topic that Changkyun should know if his boyfriend of two years likes or doesn’t like the flavor.

Hyunwoo is the one that suggests lunch, Hyunwoo is the one that offers to treat them, while Changkyun shoots a helpless look at Kihyun and Minhyuk. They’re not going to eat, there’s no point in going. Kihyun’s expression flattens, which means they’ll talk about this. Again.

Minhyuk’s immune to the look though. When he speaks, it’s like chimes in the wind, “We’d love to go!” Minhyuk claps a hand on Kihyun’s shoulder, curling his fingers around the padded fabric of his blazer with just enough pressure that Changkyun can see it. That’s how Minhyuk gets Kihyun to agree to what he says. Changkyun hasn’t figured out what secret Minhyuk has hanging over Kihyun’s head that Kihyun just bends to the touch every time. “But, of course, it’s on me.”

Hyunwoo waves his hands. “No! No, Changkyunnie and I are asking you to go, I’ll pay.”

“We just ate lunch, though,” Kihyun truly looks apologetic, and Changkyun knows the guilt in his eyes is genuine. It comes from how much he truly wants to integrate his life into Hyunwoo and Wonho’s, though he and Changkyun can’t come to terms with how exactly they’ll do that.

“We could get coffee.” Hyunwoo says with a smile that dazzles Minhyuk. “If you’d like.”

And now they’re at a local cafe just across the street, the four of them squished at a corner table by the window.

Kihyun looks beautiful, flawless as always, with the sun draped over him. He rests his hand on Changkyun’s thigh underneath the table, pulling away when the waitress swings by.

Minhyuk twists his body to Hyunwoo, a brilliant smile adorning his face. “You two had the day off?”

“Yeah, just hanging out.” Changkyun says, eyes the drinks that the waitress comes around with. Kihyun stares at the latte placed in front of him, then glances up at Minhyuk. They have to pretend to drink these, for Hyunwoo.

Changkyun watches the non-verbal exchange, and reaches for his mug. If he chugs his, Kihyun can dump his into Changkyun’s cup. Or they can swap it out and Kihyun can pretend to drink from a half-empty cup. They’ve done this before. Two shots of espresso here he comes.

“So, tell me,” Minhyuk leans against his crossed legs, against the low-set table, and makes eye contact with Hyunwoo to get his attention. “What do you do for work?”

Hyunwoo pauses for a second, probably picks up on the flirtaious vibes since Changkyun’s choking on them from a few feet over, and starts to talk about his job as a middle school teacher. Minhyuk’s eyes light up and he makes a comment about loving children as his hand slips to the table to gently push his cup towards Changkyun.

He and Minkyuk make half-a-second eye contact across the table.

Three shots of espresso and a heart attack, _here he comes_.

Changkyun is _vibrating_ by the time they finish lunch. Kihyun keeps running a hand up and down his arm, mumbling, “Sorry, sorry, I’ll kill Minhyuk.”

“I’m literally going to _astral project_ home.” Changkyun reaches for his boyfriend’s hand but his nerves are wrecked and he swings a little too hard, their hands clapping loudly together. Kihyun grips him a little too tightly, swinging their hands as they re-enter the building.

“Do you still plan on coming over tonight?” Kihyun takes in the sight of Changkyun, jittery and ready to bolt. “If you don’t crash.”

“I’m totally crashing.” Changkyun’s fingers dance up Kihyun’s side. He leans in to kiss his cheek. “I’ll text you?”

“I’m staying a little late tonight, I’ll text you around six or six-thirty.” Kihyun angles to kiss Changkyun back. Changkyun’s already racing heart picks up into overdrive and Kihyun bites back a laugh, his free hand coming to rest over Changkyun’s chest. “Hey, take it easy, this is one of my favorite things about you.”

“Because it pumps the blood you drink?” Changkyun slaps a hand over his mouth and avoids eye contact with Minhyuk, who sends a smug, evil little glance over his shoulder. Thankfully, Hyunwoo misses the comment. Thankfully, he’s totally oblivious. Changkyun’s going to rip off his own mouth, thanks.

“Keep your mouth shut.” Kihyun pinches Changkyun’s side, laughing as each pinch releases more giggles. “I was going to say something sappy and romantic about loving your heart and compassion, but I’m taking it back. You’re a dumbass.”

They part ways with one quick kiss, and as Kihyun and Minhyuk cross the lines with keycards and make it to the elevators, Changkyun laughs, vindicated by the way Kihyun aggressively shoves Minhyuk into the elevator as a minor payback for the caffeine rushing through Changkyun’s system.

“Are you okay?” Hyunwoo asks as they step outside, placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “Maybe you shouldn’t of had caffeine.”

His one latte would’ve been fine, thanks.

“Uhm, Changkyun?”

Changkyun turns to Hyunwoo, eyebrows rising into his forehead, like, yes?

“Was…. did you think…?” Hyunwoo doesn’t get awkward very often, he’s pretty self-assured and confident. And blunt. Which can be great, at times, so seeing him fidget makes Changkyun a little nervous. “Was Minhyuk hitting on me?”

Changkyun blinks. Then. “He totally wants you to dick him down.” And drink from you. “He was looking at you… like… you’re a tall glass of…” Blood. “Something fine.” Red. “Wine.”

Hyunwoo glances over his shoulder, shoves his hands in his pockets. They can’t see the building anymore, but Changkyun gets the idea, understands the forlornness. “He’s so… pretty… though.”

Yeah, it’s the inhuman.

“Have you looked in a mirror? Have you never seen yourself? Hyung, people stare at you all the time. Of course Minhyuk-hyung was looking.” Changkyun’s brain moves too fast, too fast to collect any thoughts on the way. “Wait.” Hold up. “Did you… like Minhyuk-hyung?”

“I’m...” Hyunwoo pulls his phone out of his pocket, checking the bus schedule. “I’m not _not_ interested.”

* * *

Sweet, sweet, dimpled and cute and screams when he sees a spider Lee Jooheon, spares Changkyun no mercy, and has Changkyun up in the air and over his shoulder in one swift move.

Changkyun hits the mat with a grunt, edges of his vision blurring for a second, and wheezes. Jooheon sucks his teeth, kneeling over Changkyun with worry in his red eyes.

"Shit. I'm sorry." He uses his hands to fan Changkyun's face, and Changkyun just blinks up at Jooheon, taking in a deep breath. Jooheon doesn't lose control of his strength. Or at least, he hardly ever loses control. He's Changkyun's favorite sparring partner, because Jooheon knows how to curb his power in a way that's powerful all in itself. He has so much control over himself, that sparring with him makes Changkyun almost feel like he's taking on someone closer to his level. Minhyuk hates losing and Kihyun gets too excited, so they play unfair. Changkyun doesn’t like fighting them.

"What's the matter?" Changkyun sits up, rubbing at the ball of his shoulder, right where he took the brunt of the hit.

"Huh?" Jooheon stands and offers Changkyun a hand. He takes a few steps back, brings his fists up in a defense stance and Changkyun mirrors the motion, feeling stable on his feet again.

"You're all," Changkyun waves his taped fingers in the air. "You're on another planet."

"My home planet is contacting me." Jooheon laughs, loosening his stance.

"What message are they sending you?"

"They're telling me…" Jooheon purses his lips, widens and opens his arms, and rushes forward. This time, he gets Changkyun in a headlock, and noogies him until Kihyun can't handle the screams for mercy from downstairs, and comes stomping.

"What are you doing?!" Kihyun stands in the doorway weilding a spatula. In Kihyun's hands, it's a deadly weapon.

Jooheon lets Changkyun go and Changkyun face-plants into the mat. He taps the floor, rolling onto his side, "I'm out. I'm tapping out. You win."

"Another round." Jooheon wiggles his toes into Changkyun's neck, who giggles and rolls away.

"Alright just. Don't." Kihyun looks Jooheon dead in the eye. "Don't kill each other."

Jooheon puts his hands up in surrender, offers Changkyun a hand up when Kihyun leaves.

"Alright. Sorry. My head's back in the game." Jooheon assumes his regular defense stance, leans into it.

He's still not totally in the moment. Changkyun lunges at him, Jooheon flinches, barely avoiding but comes forward, fists tight and jaw clentched. Changkyun ducks back, steps back, one, two, feels the wind of Jooheon's fist as he swings a little too close to his nose. But there's a foggy sort of lifelessness in Jooheon's eyes.

Jooheon throws a punch a little too hard and Changkyun winces, sweeping in with his other arm and landing a blow on Jooheon's chest. Jooheon stumbles, Changkyun sees clarity. And Jooheon smiles, wiggling a finger at Changkyun saying, _you got me._

"Harder! C'mon!" Jooheon pats his bulky arm, and Changkyun bristles under the challenge. Jooheon spent the past year teaching him, and Changkyun’s a fast learner and Jooheon is an incredibly patient and supportive teacher. Jooheon cheers him on, shows him all the stances, the moves, all the ways to block, all the defense and offense. Changkyun's style is a pretty equal scale of both, and he’s doing well at this.

"C'mon," Jooheon pats his chest, egging Changkyun on. "Hit me, right here."

Changkyun tries to center, finding a momentum between his steps and punches, between what he's learning and training to do against what his body wants to do. He pushes Jooheon back on the mat, farther back than he's ever managed before. But he can’t land a single blow.

Sparring frees so much of his mind. Changkyun can feel the pull of his muscles, the sureness of his steps. He watches how Jooheon plays defense, where his hands are, tries to focus where his eyes are.

This time when Jooheon drives his shoulder up, Changkyun hooks him around the neck and yanks him down, almost too caught up in the motion of throwing them both down to stop himself. He hit Jooheon a little too harshly, even though he knows it doesn't hurt.

Jooheon kneels on the mat with a yell. "You stopped me!! You fucking got me!"

Changkyun yells, too, but with a little less triumph and a lot more exhaustion, and drops to the floor sprawled out like a starfish. He needs to catch his breath. He wants to lie on the mat and drown in his own gross puddle of sweat and b.o. He smells. How is Jooheon dealing with it?

"You okay?" Jooheon doesn't sweat. What a dick.

"No." Changkyun's chest heaves. "My hearts gonna give the fuck out. This is it. I'm dying."

Jooheon laughs and taps Changkyun's chest. "I'd know if you were." He sits on the floor, criss-cross, staring at Changkyun. "Wanna learn how to flip me?"

Even with his muscles protesting and legs shaky, Changkyun gets to his feet. He needs water, first. He needs so much water, and to dump half the bottle over his head. This is the only room in the house Kihyun won't get mad at him for making a mess in. Kihyun layered the floor in this room with padding for this specifically. Changkyun and Jooheon have gotten very close in the past two years, and they hang out regularly; they spar a few times a week. Changkyun’s body took a while to get used to the beating. Half the time he’s bruised.

"I'm gonna flip you so hard." Changkyun gears up for the challenge. He's weary as Jooheon gets close to him, but all Jooheon shows him where to position his arms, tells him how to transfer the weight through his body.

"You have to know how to throw my weight, and not use too much of your own strength." Jooheon explains, adjusting Changkyun's stance wider. "Yeah, you wanna be in this position."

They do it slow, step by step, Changkyun curling and adjusting his hands until Jooheon says he has the form down.

"Alright, throw me." Jooheon waves Changkyun on. "Get a good momentum."

Changkyun takes a deep breath, tightens his fist, and charges forward. He eventually gets Jooheon over his shoulder. It feels fucking _amazing_.

Whatever had been fogging Jooheon's mind earlier seems to be pretty gone. But the murky mood bothers Changkyun, even after he’s all showered and full of the meal Kihyun cooked for him, meeting Kihyun in the living room for a good cuddle and movie fest. He slips into Kihyun’s arms and holds him so, so tight. Kihyun giggles, buries his face in Changkyun’s hair and kisses him there.

“Do you know what’s wrong with Jooheon-hyung?”

Kihyun presses another kiss to the top of Changkyun’s head. “There’s an emergency meeting with the coven, pack and hunters tomorrow.”

Changkyun pulls back to look up at Kihyun and gets a surprise kiss on his lips. “How come you’re not worried?”

“I am.” Kihyun combs his fingers through Changkyun’s hair. “So, will you stay here tonight?”

“Mhm, you would’ve asked me to stay anyway.” Changkyun rolls his eyes. When was the last time he went to his apartment? It’s been weeks.

“Yes.” Kihyun doesn’t smile, though, so Changkyun drops all the teasing he was about to do and reads the tone for what it is: serious.

“Do you know what the meeting’s about?” Changkyun shifts so he can press their faces together, just lay there with his boyfriend.

Kihyun nods his head, presses another kiss to the corner of Changkyun’s lips. “For the most part. There’s been a rise in supernatural sightings around the city, something about the tea leaves? Bad readings in bones?” Kihyun huffs, “I don’t follow the witches much, but when they say it’s serious, we all hunker down.”

Changkyun has met some of them, like Joy and Seulgi- oh, that’s right, Joy had something to tell him. He has to text her. Changkyun always imagined witches to be terrifying, but the witches he’s met are wonderful. Friendly and so incredibly powerful, they do whatever they want; they can stop the Earth on its axis, yet they spread good fortune. One of them, a spunky blond named Wendy, works in Changkyun’s department, and she leaves him pressed flowers and gives him handmade tea bags when he’s having a bad day. On one particular shitty day (Wendy had blamed the moon phase and one of the planets and Changkyun didn’t understand) when everyone was having a shitty day, she set off the sprinklers and gave them a four day weekend. It’d been great.

He hopes that one day she hexes the entire IT department because Changkyun’s has enough of them.

Changkyun’s head spins. The witches are always happy. If they’re calling an emergency meeting, maybe Changkyun should be nervous, too.

“Hey, I’m sure it’s okay.” Kihyun leaves a trail of loud kisses down Changkyun’s jawline, hair tickling his face.

“Keep me updated.”

“You know I will.” Kihyun pulls away, sits up and reaches over the back of the sofa to grab something off the table behind it. He says, “I want to give you something,” while holding a little black jewelry box and Changkyun just about turns into a black hole.

The implication of a little velveteen box dawns on Kihyun and he sits up, fumbling, “Changkyun, it’s just…” He opens the box and a set of earrings gleam innocently in the light and Changkyun, wow, gasps for a deep gulp of air and rolls onto his side and his heart, and the little _yes_ that had swelled up in his mouth, shrivels up along with a few strands of his sanity.

“I thought…” _You were proposing._

Kihyun shuts the box with a loud smack, his eyes wide and mouth slightly unhinged. “Changkyun… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean...”

Except there’s still a lot blaring through his head, like an accident, a massive collision of thoughts and emotions.

Changkyun trucks through it, sits up and holds his hands out. “Can I see?”

The earrings aren’t big and ostentatious, but the loop of white gold, pink gold and yellow gold tell Changkyun that Kihyun had put a lot of thought into this. The diamond sits so prettily, a little shy. Changkyun gets a little nervous when Kihyun just gifts him things out of nowhere, and he’s still stunned by the shock he got from the box.

“You don’t have to…” He gets conflicted, knowing that Kihyun thinks so much of him, but also knowing that Kihyun thinks he’s worth this much. “This looks so expensive.” He would ask what’s the occasion, but already knows the answer.

 _There isn’t any_ , Kihyun used to say, every time, in the beginning of their relationship until Changkyun realized he’d never get another answer because that is the reason. Plain and simple.

“Can I put them on you?” Kihyun reaches for the box and takes the earrings out. He takes out the ones Changkyun’s currently wearing, a modest diamond pair Kihyun had also bought him, to match the bangle around his wrist.

Once the earrings are on, Changkyun reaches up to touch them. His heart flutters— sheesh, he’s so lame for Kihyun— as Kihyun smiles tenderly at him. He doesn’t have to ask if it looks okay because Kihyun leans in and kisses him like he’s saying, _yes, you are the most beautiful thing in the world._

They stay like that for a while, curled around each other, just kissing, just feeling, Changkyun pushing away the thought that he’d been so ready to say yes when he thought it was a ring. He wonders if Kihyun can feel it in the kisses. He wonders if Kihyun can taste the _yes_ against his lips.

* * *

Even though staying at Kihyun’s house adds fifteen minutes to his commute to work, Changkyun spends most nights at his place. It’s hard to say no when Kihyun gets whiny and pouty, and Changkyun has so many things here already; his own space in the closet, his own drawer of socks and underwear, most of which Kihyun had bought for him. Kihyun tries to buy him most things.

Correction: Kihyun buys him everything and Changkyun’s pretty much moved in.

“If you took the _car,_ ” Kihyun says, brow a little furrowed, “It’d be faster.”

The thing is, it would be faster. But Changkyun has a thing about driving Kihyun’s fancy, brand new Mercedes-Benz in the city when he hasn’t been behind the wheel in months. It’s a gorgeous convertible, and pair that with the gorgeous day outside, and he could drive with the top down, get some sun, make strangers listen to his bubble gum pop on hi-def speakers, have his phone fully charged on the wireless charging station, but it's not his car. Changkyun had been the one to pick out the sleek slate color, the shiny rims, and Kihyun had let him drive it off the lot. But it’s not his car.

“What would you take to work? The subway?” Changkyun hates the crooked smile Kihyun gives him. He knows what that means. “You… wouldn’t even go to work.”

Kihyun shrugs. “I have the option to work remotely.”

“Incredible.” Changkyun busts his ass every day in a tiny cubicle and responds to multiple emails stating, _as per my last email…_ and adds to his to do list instead of crossing tasks off, but if Kihyun wants to stay home on a Wednesday, he can. And he has a super nice house in one of the richest boroughs of Seoul with a fancy new car.

Though, he has been in his position for two hundred years. Changkyun can’t say he wants to be at his current job for two hundred years. He doesn’t want to reach a decade. Five years would be pushing it. He’s almost there.

“What would you like for dinner?” Kihyun makes Changkyun’s coffee in a French press. He’s so pretty in the sunlight, still in pajamas, in pajama’s that come as a set with Changkyun’s: striped, opposite colors to match, and their initials embroidered into each other’s pockets. Kihyun lives for grossly domestic shit like this and Changkyun withers away a little every time, but secretly loves that Kihyun likes it. As much as Changkyun wants to come back to this, he still pays rent with his two roommates. Whom he hasn’t seen in days. He met up with Hyunwoo for lunch the day they went to Chae Industries for lunch. Changkyun met up with Wonho the week before that for dinner and drinks. He shouldn’t be ‘meeting up’ with his roommates.

“I should go to the apartment tonight.”

Kihyun looks up at him, lower lip already pushed out into pout mode.

“No, no,” Changkyun moves around the counter and presses a kiss to Kihyun’s cheek. “You can’t. I want to see my friends.”

Kihyun drops the pout and switches to annoyed. “I would love to see your friends as well.”

Are they really going to end this on a fight?

Just as Changkyun opens his mouth to argue, the dogs scratch at the sliding back door, and Changkyun says this isn’t over, with his gaze. Kihyun just turns back to the coffee with a huff, and Changkyun goes to let Coffee and Toast in. The two little basset hounds come yipping into the house, big paws pattering against the hardwood. Changkyun has no idea what they’re so excited about, but they collide into Kihyun’s ankles, demanding attention.

He laughs and leaves the coffee, dropping to his knees to give the puppies kisses. Kihyun picks Toast off the floor and gives Changkyun the same droopy eyed puppy face she’s giving him.

“Toast says you should come home tonight.” Damn both of them and their puppy eyes. “Pwease?”

“Is that what you want, hm?” Changkyun cups Toast’s face, but energetic little Coffee will not allow her sister to be the only one getting attention. She attacks the hem of Changkyun’s work pants, and Kihyun laughs dryly at the broken seam.

“Karma.”

“This isn’t karma.” Changkyun butts back, wrangling Coffee off the floor. She wanted to be picked up, but squirms when Changkyun lifts her. He puts her back down and she rushes off. What a moody little pup.

“I should go to the apartment, and you know that. I haven’t been there all month.” Changkyun pulls Toast from Kihyun’s arms, places her on the floor with a kiss and she scampers off to find her sister.

“Toast and Coffee miss you when you’re not here.” Kihyun pulls Changkyun in, arms around his shoulders. “And I do, too.” These are lies. They got Toast and Coffee two weeks ago on Sunday, and Changkyun has been home every day. He really needs to go back to the apartment.

“And I’ll come home after going back to the apartment for a night.”

Kihyun smiles suddenly, big and wide and Changkyun can’t figure out how they went from an almost-argument to Kihyun being absolutely ecstatic, pulling him in for a kiss.

“Say it again.”

“Uh,” Changkyun hugs Kihyun back, holding him around his waist. “Say what again?”

Except Kihyun doesn’t answer him, just stares at him, giddy and expectant while Changkyun rushes through their conversation. He gives himself a pat on the back for avoiding the same argument they’ve had countless times already, but can’t figure out where exactly he’d done such an expert job of calming Kihyun down.

But the longer it takes him to figure it out, the less and less Kihyun looks amused.

When he leans back and purses his lips, Changkyun realizes they’re treading very close to an argument again.

“Okay.” He gives in. “What did I say…?”

Kihyun pats his cheek, tone flat. “Have a good day at work.”

“I don’t know what I did! Why are you mad at me?” Changkyun takes back that pat on the back he gave himself. He can’t even hold onto Kihyun as Kihyun slips so easily even out of Changkyun’s tight grip. He goes through the cabinets for a tumbler, pouring the coffee into it and Changkyun, desperately, flies through the conversation in his head.

“When will you come by again?” Kihyun doesn’t look at him, tightening the lid on Changkyun’s coffee with a vengeful grip. Changkyun won’t be able to open that later.

“I’ll…” Changkyun tries, really tries, to curb his attitude. “I’ll come home tonight.”

There’s that flicker of fondness in Kihyun’s face, in the small tug of his lip and the glitter in his eye. And Changkyun— oh, he gets it.

“Home.”

That fondness floods Kihyun’s expression, but it’s pulled back this time, reserved and shy. “You said this is home.”

Changkyun doesn’t know when it changed, he doesn’t know when he switched from ‘my boyfriend’s place’ to ‘home,’ and he wonders if he’s said it in front of his roommates, or if he’s said it before today. But coming home means coming home to Kihyun. And more recently, coming home to two energetic basset hounds. They’d mostly been Changkyun’s idea, but Kihyun had easily bent over at the thought of having dogs in the house.

“I’ll go back to the apartment tonight.” Changkyun steps closer to Kihyun, leaning in to hold him. “And I’ll come home tomorrow, okay?”

Kihyun looks pleased, twists in Changkyun’s hold to give him a kiss. It’s light and sweet, like the coffee Kihyun brews for him in the mornings. He’s always up early, always gets up first to send Changkyun off with a full belly and a packed lunch. It’s so stupid and sweet, that he does things without prompting, that he always thinks of Changkyun, but never coddles. Changkyun holds him a little closer, pushes him a little against the counter, the sun beating on his back through the large windows, their rising desperation against his front.

“Call out of work.” Kihyun whispers between their lips, already tugging Changkyun’s button-up out of his pants.

“I’m not—” Changkyun makes a low sound in the back of his throat, dipping his head back as Kihyun nips down his neck. “I’m not calling out of work.”

Kihyun hums against his throat, hands working on his buckle. “I'll make these fifteen minutes worth it, then.”

They already know Kihyun can work Changkyun all the way up and back down in fifteen minutes, except, _except_ — Changkyun dips his head all the way to the side, guides Kihyun by the back of his head, and breathes out a shaky breath when Kihyun presses his lips to his pulse.

“Drink from me.”

Kihyun pulls a little too hard on Changkyun’s belt. “You don’t have to.”

“I know,” Changkyun slides a hand down Kihyun’s front, leaves teasing touches. He’s not quite hard yet, and he doesn’t mind. He really doesn’t mind. “It’s okay. Drink.”

Kihyun shivers against him, kisses him on the mouth. Changkyun has to break off for a breath, pulls loose his tie and then lifts Kihyun off the floor, sitting him on the counter. Kihyun latches onto him, eyes foggy as Changkyun undoes the top few buttons, and tugs on the collar.

Though he has no power, no control, Changkyun doesn’t think twice about this. Kihyun could drink too much. Kihyun could kill him like this. But Changkyun leans in, settles his hands on Kihyun’s hips and he knows Kihyun can hear his blood rush, hear the sound of his heart speeding up. But as Changkyun’s brain tries to be smart about this, his heart says other things. And Changkyun trusts Kihyun.

“Are you sure?” Kihyun searches Changkyun’s gaze, he always triple checks. “Are you positive?”

“Go ahead,” Changkyun breathes softly, pushing forward. “Aren’t you hungry?”

Even having been together almost two years, Kihyun still has other means of feeding. He doesn’t drink much from humans, they stopped that a while ago, and Changkyun gets (very) jealous when Kihyun goes out without him. It took a little while for Changkyun to get used to there being blood in the fridge, right next to the milk, no big deal, but he prefers that to the alternative.

The first time they did this had been on one of the nights Kihyun came home late, looking handsome in a leather jacket and smoky eyes. And Changkyun’s gut had coiled, and he didn’t know what to do with his sense of jealousy and overwhelming curiosity. Kihyun looks so rosy after drinking. So happy and satisfied. It had been only a few months into their relationship. And now it’s been over a year of this, and while Changkyun doesn’t have to do this often because there are places Kihyun can just- get blood from, Changkyun doesn’t want him drinking from anyone else.

Kihyun licks the spot on Changkyun’s neck, warming it with his tongue and mouth, and Changkyun closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He breathes in, and his eyes flutter as Kihyun applies a little pressure with his fangs. He waits until Changkyun exhales before piercing the skin, and Changkyun falters a little. Maybe he should be the one sitting. He grips Kihyun’s hips and leans into him, holds on tighter.

It doesn’t hurt, which doesn’t bother Changkyun anymore, that he enjoys this. It makes him feel light, a little hazy and drowsy. Kihyun grabs onto his shoulders and moans so low, and Changkyun doesn’t like the thought of Kihyun doing this into a strangers neck, that he’d felt so solid underneath the hands of some other human yielding to him like this.

Changkyun trusts Kihyun, who’s done this for hundreds of years, to not be too greedy. Though he feels lighter and lighter, like he might float away as Kihyun whimpers against his throat.

When Kihyun does pull back, Changkyun falls against his chest. He blinks rapidly, takes a deep breath and tries to feel the blood flow in his veins. He closes his eyes, times his breathing to Kihyun’s hand that cards through his hair.

And when he tips back and looks at Kihyun, he sees a rosy sweetness in Kihyun’s cheeks, a wicked red stain in the edges of his lips that Changkyun reaches up to use a thumb to push onto Kihyun’s tongue. Kihyun sucks the last bit of blood off Changkyun’s finger.

Kihyun kisses the pad of Changkyun’s thumb. “Let me drive you.” He glances at the time, over Changkyun’s shoulder. “You only have five minutes to be out the door and make the train, you’ll never make it.”

All Changkyun can do is agree, accept a glass of water, glow under Kihyun’s thousand kisses.

“I love you so so much.” He doesn’t trust himself to hold the cup and not drop it, so Changkyun settles it on the counter and tucks a hand behind Kihyun’s neck. Kihyun works on fixing his shirt, licking up the stray blood on his throat before readjusting his tie.

Kihyun smiles at him with overwhelming adoration. “I love you more than you know, Changkyunnie.”

* * *

A twenty-minute train delay. Twenty minutes. On top of him being stuck at the office for an extra forty-five minutes. Changkyun can hear Kihyun saying _karma_ in the back of his head, so he doesn’t tell Kihyun about the delay. He asks for puppy updates, and Kihyun sends an adorable video of them trying to climb the bed stairs Changkyun ordered online for them. The package arrived earlier and Kihyun had called him on break, demanding to know why he thought it’d be okay for the dogs to sleep on the bed, but put the thing together anyway. Now, he’s trying to coax them up the stairs with treats, and Changkyun smiles stupidly at the video, wishing he were there trying to teach the puppies to climb onto the bed, too.

As he texts a reply to the video the train comes down the tracks. Changkyun breathes out, stuffy and exhausted, barely breathing on this stuffy platform, stepping forward to get closer to the ledge, stepping aside for passengers to come out. The train comes to a stop and Changkyun accidentally bumps into someone behind him. He twists to bow an apology, the man behind him doing so, apologizing for being so close. As he blinks, Changkyun catches the retinal flare in his eyes and his gut drops.

A shapeshifter. It’s a shifter.

Changkyun immediately turns forward and rushes into the train, moving in, hopefully, the opposite direction of the shifter.

He has no such luck though, and the shifter comes up close to him, too close, as the train fills with exhausted, white collar workers that just want to go home.

In an awkward moment of shuffling, Changkyun catches the shifter’s gaze. It’s on his neck, and then they make eye contact, the shifter staring at him curiously. Changkyun just turns away, looks down at his phone. He has a silver blade tucked into his pocket, concealed like a pen; a gift from Kihyun for situations like these.

"Interesting." The shifter stares right where Kihyun drank from him, it's probably bruised by now. Changkyun has an ointment from the witches that helps heal it quickly. It should still be red, the fang marks a dark mark, but nothing that looks more than a bad hickey. Changkyun doesn’t always bother to cover it.

Changkyun has a thick silver bracelet, too, and reaches for the bar above his head so his sleeve falls down enough to reveal it. One touch and the shifter would burn. It's the best warning he can give when they're on a crowded rush hour subway surrounded by humans.

The shifter notices it, shuffles back. But his gaze only grows more curious. Changkyun doesn’t like that amused uptick pulling his lips.

Shifters, when they assume a human’s form, kill the person whose identity they take. Changkyun wonders if he should let Kihyun know there’s one less than a meter away from him. Kihyun would know if this should be handled.

Changkyun slips off the train at his stop, stops on the platform to look over his shoulder. The shifter doesn’t move from the train, adverts his gaze as the doors shut. Changkyun slides his thumb against Kihyun’s contact.

“Hello?”

“Hey,” Changkyun smiles a little, heading up the stairs. “So uh, bumped into a shifter today.”

“What? Where?” Kihyun’s voice raises in concern. “Are you hurt?”

“No, they didn’t do anything. I just… this isn’t the first one I’ve seen.” They have distinct characteristics; a scar of a fold behind their neck, where they peel their skin when they shed, and the shine of their tapetum lucidum. There have been more and more of them popping up, at the bakery a few mornings ago, at the grocery store, but mostly on the train. Changkyun has known about them a while now, and doesn’t know if he’s only just noticing them now, or if there’s an increase in them recently.

“Jooheon said the same thing, it’s why he’s so worried.” Kihyun sighs, sounding tired. “I don’t know if it’s like, mating season—”

“They have those?”

“What? Of course.”

Changkyun glances over his shoulder. Just in case. Turns the corner getting closer to home. “Oh. You don’t have a mating season, right?”

“What? No. I can’t have kids.”

“Ah, shootin’ blank? Bummer.”

Kihyun pauses for a hilariously tense minute. “What are you trying to tell me right now? What am I misinterpreting? Did I _miss_ something?”

Changkyun laughs, finally shaking off the last bit of paranoia from the train. “No, no. I’m just. Being stupid.”

“Uh,” Kihyun fumbles for a second. “This. Changkyun.”

Uh-oh. His full name. Not love, or darling, or Kyunnie, but Changkyun. That little dreg of paranoia is back.

“Do you… want children?”

Whoa, _whoa_.

Changkyun nearly drops his phone, almost walks into a telephone pole that he knows is there it’s been there forever it’s not like these things move, but he just—

“Can we not… talk about this right now?” Children? Changkyun thinks his cheeks are going to boil off he’s so red and hot. Can he even adopt with Kihyun? How would he explain to adoption agencies, in South Korea, nonetheless, that he, a man, wants to adopt with another man. Who’s a vampire. If anything, Changkyun imagined being a dog dad. And in his flustered state, he just, opens his mouth, “We have Toast and Coffee, our twin daughters.”

“Tonight I’m a single parent.” Okay, Kihyun reverting to sarcasm is a good thing.

“That’s not fair.” Changkyun shoves his hand in his pocket, still blushing. They’re parents. They’re dog parents. This is so sickeningly cute and domestic what the fuck.

A shadow moves in the corner of his eye and Changkyun jumps a little, then remembers, “Oh. The shifter.”

“Ah!” Kihyun laughs awkwardly. “The meeting tonight’s about a gumiho. In the city.”

“Oh.” Changkyun’s heart sinks a little. A gumiho? Walking around Seoul? “Is no one gonna, y’know, take care of it?”

“Hyungwon plans on meeting the headhunters this week. So, it’ll be dealt with. You have the silver?”

“Yep. I’m... _loaded_.” Changkyun pats his pocket and grins when Kihyun huffs at his stupid joke. He finally sees his apartment complex up the hill. “Hey, I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Okay, love. Good night.”

“Good night.” Changkyun says, moving up the front steps. “Love you.”

“Love you more.” Kihyun replies, it’s an automatic response to Changkyun’s 'I love you' but Kihyun always puts so much heart in it that Changkyun knows he means it, and they hang up.

Changkyun types in the pin for his apartment and pushes the front door open with a flourish, throwing his hands in the air. “Honey!! I’m home!”

Wonho grins from his spot on the couch. “You live!” and Changkyun knows he doesn’t mean it like that, but, yeah. Changkyun’s alive. No shifters taking his skin or gumiho’s eating his liver or boyfriend drinking too much of his blood. But Wonho and Hyunwoo don’t know about that. They’re blissfully unaware. Changkyun keeps every single joke to himself and just smiles.

“How was your weekend?” Wonho asks as Changkyun comes in, reaching his hands up in the air for a hug. “There’s dinner if you’re hungry.”

“Starving.” Changkyun shrugs off his sports coat, and drops into Wonho’s lap to give him a tight hug. He hears the shower over his shoulder, and swings the bathroom door open to yell hello to Hyunwoo. Hyunwoo doesn’t even fright, just pokes his head around the shower curtain and grins.

“Welcome home, Changkyunnie.”

“I’m gonna eat!” He says as he closes the bathroom door and heads to the kitchen, excited to stuff his face. Kihyun’s food is good, it’s so good, he’s learning so he can keep his human boyfriend well fed, but sometimes Changkyun wants some plain old ramen; Wonho’s specialty. Changkyun recognized the scent as soon as he walked in the door.

Changkyun sits next to Wonho on the couch, mixing some gochujang into his bowl of ramen. “What are we watching?”

“Just an old episode of Men on a Mission.” Wonho holds a mug of tea, blowing on it.

Changkyun watches the group laugh their way through introductions, and says, “My boyfriend loves EXO.” then immediately shoves noodles in his mouth. C’mon, Changkyun, really? Boyfriend talk is off limits at the apartment.

“Oh?” Wonho always perks up whenever the mysterious boyfriend comes up. “He’s into boy groups?”

“Yeah,” Changkyun wants to shift the topic, please. There’s a reason why Kihyun doesn’t come around, or why he doesn’t associate with Wonho and Hyunwoo much, no matter how much it comes up in arguments.

Changkyun freezes, slams his bowl against the coffee table and stands. Wonho jumps and stares up at him.

“Are you okay?”

No, Changkyun has to cover his neck before Wonho sees the bruising and very suspicious puncture wounds.

“I’m cold.”

“It’s twenty-eight degrees out.” Hyunwoo says from the bathroom doorway, rubbing a towel in his hair.

“And I’m cold.” Changkyun shuffles to his room and changes into his pj’s, throws a hoodie on and pulls the hood up. He looks at himself in the mirror. It does a fair job covering the bite mark, but not so much the purpling of the bruise. Fuck. Okay. Changkyun can’t get away with a scarf in the house, so he grabs his blanket, mumbles a little prayer in hopes he doesn’t get heat stroke underneath all these layers, and wraps the thing around him. He looks in the mirror and is pretty annoyed that this worked. His neck is covered.

Wonho looks offended by the blanket. “Are you sick? Are you feeling okay?”

Hyunwoo putts around the house in shorts and no shirt, and Changkyun’s jealous, avoiding Hyunwoo’s odd glances. He looks ridiculous with a blanket over his shoulders in the middle of summer. He feels ridiculous.

“It’s just kinda chilly. I’m totally fine.” Changkyun pulls the ramen back into his lap. “What’d you guys do this weekend?”

Wonho is social; he went out, got a little drunk, got a guy’s number, slept in on Sunday. But he has no interest in the guy. Wonho’s a romantic, wants a meet cute, like bumping into someone in the library, or helping a stranger pick up their things at the subway, and they’ll miss the train, so they’ll get coffee while they wait for the next one. Changkyun used to think Wonho’s fantasies were ridiculous (though he never said it outloud, because the truth was he wanted something like that, too) and then he met the love of his life at a masquerade ball. And the love of his life turned out to be a vampire.

Anything’s possible.

Hyunwoo says he went out, too. Went to the dance studio, hung out with an old friend from college. Then he and Wonho spent Sunday night curled up on the couch watching movies, and Changkyun regrets he missed it. Sundays had always been their day, even after he started dating Kihyun it stayed tradition. But lately, Changkyun finds himself just going to Kihyun’s house. It’s automatic most nights. He takes the left out of work instead of the right, hops on the train to Kihyun’s and eats there, showers there, lounges on the couch there and wakes to Kihyun carrying him up the stairs.

On the television, the EXO boys do a lot of yelling. Changkyun watches them for a minute or so, until Wonho asks,

“What’d you do all weekend?”

“Watched TV. Went shopping.” Changkyun slurps the broth. “Took Toast and Coffee on a really long hike.”

Hyunwoo turns to him. “Who?”

They’ve only had the dogs for two weeks, so Changkyun pulls out his phone and pulls up the video of Kihyun trying to get the puppies to climb the bed.

“They’re sisters!” He says, and his two friends simultaneously coo over the dogs. Changkyun scrolls through the thousands of photos he has, showing them off. There are photos of them out in the backyard, Toast with a stick triple her size, Coffee climbing Kihyun’s lap, Coffee landing a huge slobbery kiss on Kihyun’s face. Changkyun’s personal favorite is the video of him playing with Toast, and she zooms away to pick up a shoe, it’s Kihyun shoe, that he left by the door, and then Kihyun speeds across the screen yelling,

“No!! Those are Gucci!!” and the next six seconds of the video is a blur because Changkyun was laughing so hard he couldn’t hold the phone steady, but then it centers back on Kihyun rushing up the stairs and scooping Toast up about half way, tugging on the shoe and going, “Give me that. Toast. Let go.”

“Why Toast and Coffee?” Hyunwoo asks, frowning a little when Changkyun shows them a photo of Kihyun lying on the living room floor, Toast sitting on his chest and Coffee falling off him.

Changkyun blanks, chest tightening. How does he tell his friends they considered naming the dogs after Bethoveen and Mozart, until Kihyun shot down the idea because Changkyun asked if he knew the pianists personally? How does he tell them it’s actually a little bit of a joke? Because Kihyun said food names were cute and Changkyun asked him to name his favorite breakfast food, but Kihyun hasn’t had breakfast in over two hundred years so he panicked and said, “Toast?”

“We like, uh, breakfast.” Changkyun gives a dopey little smile, keeps scrolling through the pictures.

“What’d you go shopping for?” Wonho asks, leaning against Changkyun’s shoulder. It’s so fucking hot under the blankets.

“Just. Whatever.” Changkyun doesn’t want to tell his friends his boyfriend went into all the high-end stores and kept trying to buy him a Rolex watch.

But Wonho is a great friend, very perceptive, and notices the one thing Changkyun got as a gift: his earrings.

“Are they real gold?” Wonho pushes aside the hood to squint at the diamond and Changkyun tightens his grip on the blanket to keep his neck covered. “Wait, are those real?”

Changkyun sweats when he remembers the panic from the little black box, panics a little more when he remembers he thought these were a ring. Changkyun gets shy with the gifts and asks Kihyun to tone it down, but these earrings are so nice. They’re big enough to look real, pricey, like he’s a high-class bitch, but not gaudy.

“They’re, uhm. Yeah. My boyfriend got them for me.” Changkyun touches the studs, gets a little nervous. He tries not to talk about Kihyun’s money.

Wonho slides back through the photos, stops at one with Kihyun and zooms in on his face. “I know, for whatever reason, you don’t want to talk about your boyfriend.” He taps on the screen. “But, he doesn’t look old...”

Oh, if only they knew.

“Is he your sugar daddy?” Hyunwoo asks, point blank, because Wonho would have beat around the bush all night before getting right to the point.

Well! He’s way past the age requirement for the sugar daddy status.

“He, uh,” Changkyun plays with his earrings, then pulls his hands away because he's suddenly super aware of how expensive the diamond is and he can't believe he's wearing it.

“He…?” Wonho leans in a little more.

“He’s kinda, I mean. He has money. He just, he’s not a sugar daddy.”

“Are you dating a millionaire?” Wonho has an amused little chuckle in the back of his throat. Like it’s funny. Like it’s not a possibility. Hyunwoo, though, who saw Kihyun in his office suite, in his 'I have a Meeting today' suit and tie, hums like he’s stringing a few things together.

“You’re dating a millionaire.” Hyunwoo says, looking at Changkyun like he got the puzzle piece to fit.

Changkyun stares at his empty bowl, face burning. “Uh. Maybe.”

Wonho literally falls back. "You're— he's a sugar daddy?!"

"No!"

"Does he buy you things?!" Wonho grabs at Changkyun's diamond earrings and tugs. What an asshole. Wonho gasps at the gold bracelet that peeks from behind his sleeve. "Expensive earrings?! Fancy clothes?" Wonho points accusingly at Changkyun's jeans. "How much did these cost?! Did he buy this for you?"

Yes yes and yes.

Fuck.

Kihyun is his sugar daddy.

Hyunwoo and Wonho immediately snap up to look at him, and their questions fly too fast for Changkyun to keep up.

“Why didn’t you tell us?!” Wonho gives him a shake, sounds hurt. “Why’d you keep that from us?!”

"I'm sorry!" Changkyun doesn't know how to save his ass, and he thinks the buzzer is a saving grace until he opens the front door and sees a very apologetic looking Kihyun and a grinning Minhyuk.

"I texted you." Kihyun mumbles dourly, "A lot." Changkyun’s phone is charging in his room, and he never takes it off vibrate.

"Hi." Minhyuk grins, pretty and charming. "Is Hyunwoo-sshi home?" As if he doesn’t already know the answer to that.

Kihyun rolls his eyes, rubbing at them with his pointer and thumb. "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, uh," Changkyun glances between them, and once he breaks the protective barrier above the door, the line of salt the witches recommended for him, Minhyuk barges in.

"Hello!!" Minhyuk slides off his shoes and pushes them to the side with his feet. Balenciaga's, and he just throws them in the middle of old smelly sneakers like they aren't worth what they’re worth.

Hyunwoo turns a pretty red. "Oh, Lee-sshi, it's nice to see you again." His hands come self consciously up over his bare chest. "I'm, I'm sorry. I didn't know you were coming. I'll… grab a shirt." He gets up and slips into his room, ducking away from Minhyuk's hungry gaze.

"It's your home, do as you please." Minhyuk pouts a little as Hyunwoo runs off to cover up.

"What are you doing? Why are you here?" Changkyun swivels towards Kihyun, keeping him in the doorway.

"One of the hunter houses is in this area. Hyungwon went home and, well..." Kihyun looks over at Minhyuk lounging on the couch, introducing himself to Wonho and looking pleased as Hyunwoo comes back out in a t-shirt that flatters his V shape and biceps. Wonho notices Minhyuk's ogling and giggles.

"Minhyuk-hyung wanted to come flirt with Hyunwoo-hyung?"

"Pretty much." Kihyun pushes past, tugging at the blanket. "You're sweating, why—" he stops and blinks, turning away from Changkyun. "Nevermind."

“Hello!! It’s so nice to see you, sorry the place is kinda a mess.” Wonho stands up to greet Kihyun, his eyes shining a bit. He’s definitely thinking about how Kihyun’s a sugar daddy, and how even in sweats and a t-shirt he oozes fancy bitch.

“No, please, your apartment is always so nice.” Kihyun’s only been here a handful of times. Changkyun circles as Kihyun comes in, and Wonho immediately turns on his Good Host mode and moves to the kitchen, asking what Minhyuk and Kihyun want. They insist they’ve already eaten and Wonho still tries to push at least tea, they can have tea.

“Please, we don’t want to trouble you. We’re… we’ll be quick.” Kihyun sits next to Minhyuk and bumps their shoulders. “Right?”

Minhyuk spins around, rubs at his neck. He’s lost in conversation with Hyunwoo. “What? Yes.”

While Minhyuk’s turned around, Hyunwoo’s gaze sweeps down his body, and Changkyun sweats. He’s so warm he’s a little dizzy. Hyunwoo is really interested in Minhyuk, huh? Changkyun doesn’t know what to think of this development.

They all get along so well that Changkyun feels awful having them all together. Kihyun is genuine with Changkyun’s friends, makes them laugh and listens well and Changkyun removes himself from the scene to just watch, just for a moment, because he could have this; they could have this, if it weren’t for all the lies.

But, just like they promised, Kihyun and Minhyuk stay for barely an hour, and Changkyun, Hyunwoo and Wonho get up to see them out to the front.

“It’s supposed to rain all day tomorrow. Would you like it if I left the car here?” Kihyun fishes the key fob out of his pocket.

“What? No. I have a raincoat.” Will Changkyun actually wear the raincoat? Stay tuned.

Kihyun smiles awkwardly. “If you’re sure.”

“How would you even get back home, anyway?”

“I know how to take the train, thank you very much. Are you sure you don’t want the car?”

Changkyun lives in a very modest neighborhood. No one around here drives a luxury sedan. The Mercedes looks extremely out of place sitting up against the curb. People would notice.

“Babe. It’s your car. Stop telling me to take it.”

“Oh, my gosh. You’re adorable.” Minhyuk rolls his eyes, sticks his hands in his pockets. “He’s trying to _give_ you the car.”

Changkyun nearly exorcist-spins towards his boyfriend. “You what?!”

Kihyun prickles into Defense Mode. “You hate your ride to work—”

“Doesn’t mean I want a _car_.”

“— you hate the subway, you take it during the busiest time of the days,” Kihyun has two fingers up in the air, and lifts a third,

“Kihyun that car costs as much as a house.”

“— I know, for a fact, you will not wear your raincoat tomorrow.”

Called out. Doesn’t mean Changkyun will take it. “Babe please I don’t need you to buy me a car oh my god.”

“ _You_ picked it.”

From the corner of his eye, Changkyun sees Minhyuk roll his eyes again. “I did not _pick_ anything I thought that one was nice.”

“ _You_ liked that one. _You_ test drove it.”

“Yeah it’s nice but I didn’t think you were gonna buy it!”

“I wanted it to be a gift!”

If Changkyun could just. Strangle him.

Changkyun cups his hands around Kihyun’s face and presses their foreheads together, reeling it back, reeling it way back. He takes a deep breath, hears Minhyuk scoff half-heartedly.

“Babe.”

“You picked the color, in case you forgot.”

Changkyun opens his eyes and steps back to give Kihyun the sternest look he can muster. He reaches down and holds his hands, being as serious as possible. “I don’t want a Mercedes.”

“Okay, what would you like?” Kihyun can just trade the car back in. He’ll down-grade. And though it makes Changkyun a little sweet knowing that Kihyun went through all this effort to provide some sort of comfort and convenience to his life, buying the highest rated luxury sedan was not the way to go.

“Not a Mercedes.”

“So…” Kihyun prompts with a little wave of his hands, as if trying to pull it out. “A Hyun… dai? What about a Toyota?”

“No.” Changkyun presses his pointer finger to Kihyun’s lips. “No.”

“Kia?"

"No, please."

"Kia's make pretty sports cars."

“No. Shhhh. Stop. I don’t want a car.” Changkyun cups Kihyun’s face again. “I want you to go home. And put the kids outside,” Wonho goes _awwwwwww_ really loudly, “And get some sleep.”

Kihyun pouts. Changkyun squeezes him harder, knowing it doesn’t hurt.

“Please?”

Kihyun rolls his eyes. “Fine.”

“Thank you.” Changkyun knocks their foreheads together. “Thank you. Text me when you get home. Take the car with you.”

Kihyun and Minhyuk leave, looking way too expensive and way too otherworldly. Changkyun, Wonho and Hyunwoo stand in the doorway until they pull onto the street and roll away. It really is a pretty car, handles like something Changkyun could never trust himself to drive. It has more buttons and features than he can handle. The car isn’t his. It’s Kihyun’s; elegant and showy.

Once the door shuts and locks, Wonho spins around. “You, Im Changkyun, have a fucking sugar daddy. And you didn’t tell us.”

Hyunwoo, who seems to be a little frazzled, turns his phone towards Wonho. And Wonho’s voice hits a whole new pitch as he screams out how much the car cost.

Yeah. Kihyun really bought him the highest-rated luxury sedan.

How’d his life turn into this?

* * *

Bowling with vampires.

Think about it: They have incredible reflexes, enhanced vision, and they’ve done this a thousand times before. Changkyun doesn’t know why he’s also in the mix, since he sucks, and Hyungwon doesn’t hold back any punches and gets a strike every time. It’s only Changkyun that keeps getting gutter balls. Jooheon gets one, but it’s probably just to make Changkyun feel better about himself. It doesn’t really help. But, hey, if a group of vampires want a casual night out, bowling and the clubs, then who is Changkyun to deny them of the simpler things in life? He thinks it’s actually really cute, that super elusive and proud Chae Hyungwon, head vampire of the towering Chae Empire, wants to go bowling.

Besides, Hyungwon treats Changkyun like a younger brother. Even though they’re on opposite teams, Hyungwon gives him a huge smile and thumbs up when he does score a strike, and having Hyungwon’s stamp of approval means a lot.

Kihyun gets jealous when Changkyun beams at Hyungwon. Which is adorable, because Changkyun looks up to Hyungwon like a sibling, and that’s about it.

Of course Changkyun and Kihyun’s team loses, Changkyun can’t score strikes every time, but Kihyun takes his hand and tells him he did great with a dozen kisses sprinkled all over his face, and they leave as a group.

Strangers will glance at them; at their Patek Philippe watches, the brand names head to toe, and Changkyun, well, has a nagging feeling that he doesn’t belong. He has the expensive, trendy ripped jeans, the Saint Laurent tee-shirt, 18k gold earrings, matching bracelets. Changkyun’s ensemble costs months of his salary, but Kihyun had bought all these things with a click online, or a breezy, ‘We’ll take this, too,” when in the stores. Kihyun learned that gaudy gifts genuinely make Changkyun uncomfortable, a huge trial and error phase in the beginning of their relationship, and has learned Changkyun’s taste and now buys him things that he wants, but feels bad for wanting.

Changkyun looks at his boyfriend and friends; Kihyun, Hyungwon, Minhyuk and Jooheon, and feels out of place. It’s a fleeting moment, the others involve him, adore him, but when Changkyun sees people looking he knows that next to the vampires, he’s dull. Their inhumanness is entrancing. He’s just human, no matter what he's wearing.

Kihyun lets go of his hand to bring him to his other side, to put Changkyun between him and Jooheon. And Jooheon grins, and asks Changkyun about work, and asks about the dogs, and Hyungwon turns, too, asking about the puppies. It’s such an easy inclusion, like Changkyun belongs.

They get to the club and Changkyun hands his ID to the bouncer, that sinking feeling coming back. The group disperses, and Changkyun realizes that he’s hungry, and that they’re hungry, but his hunger isn’t the same. Changkyun sighs and falls back, Kihyun trailing behind with him, the dark lights flashing over his flawless skin.

“What is it, my love?” Kihyun gets close to speak in his ear, out in the hall where the music pounds through the floor.

“Do you… want me here?”

Kihyun looks at him, really looks at him. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“They—” Changkyun flops a hand at the door, where the others have already disappeared behind, off to find a meal for the night. “They’re gonna drink. They don’t think it’s weird that I’m here?”

Back when he drank from humans, Kihyun was very transparent about it; told Changkyun when he went out, told him the type of person he fed off, thinking it would make Changkyun feel better. It didn’t. It doesn’t make him feel better knowing exactly what Kihyun looks for, because when someone who has the qualities Kihyun looks for at the club approaches them, Changkyun’s heart sinks into his stomach. But he doesn’t have the heart to tell Kihyun what’s on his mind. He’d rather Kihyun hadn't told him.

“I’m here with you tonight.” Kihyun smells so good, looks dangerous in his red leather jacket, black ensemble, with his hair pushed back off his forehead, a smudge of eye makeup. He looks like someone to be feared in the night.

He’s all soft and pink though when he kisses Changkyun. “Let’s go inside.”

Changkyun tangles his fingers with Kihyun and nods, follows him into the club and declines a drink. Kihyun stands in front of him, extends a hand with a bow, as if asking for a type of dance that wouldn’t make sense inside this musky club. And Changkyun laughs a little, takes Kihyun’s hand, and follows him into the sea of people.

Hyungwon had bought them all a booth, and after a little while dancing when Changkyun gets sweaty, he and Kihyun join the group. Kihyun pulls Changkyun Into his lap and they get comfortable.

The best part of being the only human in the middle of all the vampires? When Changkyun sits down all the glasses of water slide towards him, and he glugs them all down. Kihyun’s hands settle into his lap and Kihyun leans against his shoulders. The group talks about potential humans, Jooheon gets a little side tracked with one of the girl’s sequined dresses and he’s on his phone searching for a sequin jacket, because now he wants one. Of course there’s a Gucci one. Of course he buys it with a tap on his screen. There’s a cool one with a snake logo on it, and Changkyun fights for the phone (but loses) when trying to stop Jooheon from buying it for him.

Changkyun slumps back against Kihyun, shifting in his lap and pressing his face into Kihyun’s neck.

“Your friends are cruel.”

Kihyun holds him around the waist and chuckles, presses a kiss to his forehead. “It’ll look good on you.”

“You say that about everything.” Changkyun whines. He pouts as Kihyun rubs a hand up and down his arm.

“Do you want a drink?”

It takes Changkyun second to register that Kihyun is offering to buy him a drink. A regular, human drink. With alcohol.

The confusion must be clear on his face, because Hyungwon laughs from across the table. “What were you thinking he meant?”

“Not alcohol.” Changkyun sits back up. “Clearly I’ve been hanging around you guys too much.”

“Is that… in the future though?” Minhyuk rests his chin on his folded hands and smirks. Changkyun glances at Kihyun, whose eyes are a little steely.

“ _Minhyuk_.” Kihyun hisses, surprised when Jooheon says,

“We’re all thinking it.”

Changkyun resolutely stares at the water marks on the table, spreading it around with his index finger. He had been so ready to say yes when he thought Kihyun was proposing. He will not open his mouth. No, no. He’ll carry on pretending that his friends can’t read and hear his body’s physical reaction (nervousness) to the thought of spending forever, literal forever, with Kihyun.

A hand trails up his thigh, settles on his hip, and Changkyun looks over his shoulder to see Kihyun’s fond expression, smiles as Kihyun tips forward to drop a kiss to the corner of his lips.

He wonders, just a little, if Kihyun would want that. He wonders, often, if Kihyun will stay with him while he grows old. Changkyun doesn’t know if he can handle getting older while Kihyun stays twenty-eight his whole life. How would he explain that to his parents? To the people in his life? He knows that Kihyun keeps his circle of friends tight, and Changkyun can’t imagine how lonely that must get, knowing that the bonds he creates with others will be forcefully cut, and mostly built on lies. Changkyun can’t imagine what must’ve been going through Kihyun’s head for him to have been so open with Changkyun that very first night.

The lights of the club flash a pretty navy tint to Kihyun’s hair, and Changkyun distracts his thoughts by reaching up and fixing the styled swoop in his hair.

“You should dye your hair blue.”

“Would it look good?” Kihyun’s hand trails up Changkyun’s side, then around his waist, adjusting him so he’s sitting squarely on his crotch instead. Kihyun leans in to tuck his chin over Changkyun’s shoulder, smiling when Changkyun nods in affirmation. It would look very good.

“I’ll go blue, you go purple.” Kihyun says, fluffing up Changkyun’s blond hair. “Oh, it’s much softer.”

All those hair products Kihyun bought for him really worked on fixing the crisp that was his hair after multiple bleaching sessions. Changkyun loves the blond though, feels confident in it. It helps that Kihyun showers him in compliments, too.

“You’ll be two little berries.” Jooheon cuts in with a laugh, and Minhyuk rolls his eyes and taps his long fingers on the table, scanning the room. They’re there to drink, not watch the boyfriends flirt.

“We’ll be _berry_ cute.” Kihyun mumbles against Changkyun’s shoulder, and Changkyun finds Kihyun’s hand to hold in his.

“Hey, Changkyun-ah?” Minhyuk has a piercing look, Changkyun never really knows what he’s thinking. “Does Hyunwoo-sshi know about us?”

Oh, great. Did Kihyun coerce them into talking about this? He immediately rises on the defensive, prickly over the topic and even more on Mama Bear mode because he knows Minhyuk has an eye on Hyunwoo. He’s so tired of running in circles about this topic, and knows that Kihyun won’t side with him if the group decides they want to corner him about it.

“No.” Changkyun snaps, picking up one of the glasses to drink. “Why?”

“Curious.” Minhyuk rests his chin in his palm, and takes a second to look away.

"It's because he wants to ask Hyunwoo-sshi out." Kihyun says, resting his chin again on Changkyun's shoulder. His gaze narrows across the table, and Minhyuk raises a brow in irritation. Changkyun suddenly regrets being in the middle and makes frantic eye contact with Hyungwon, as if the man could do anything. Hyungwon offers a little shrug, and nothing else.

"He's hot. What do you want from me?" Minhyuk taps his long fingers against the tabletop. He looks away. "There's a man over there, I can't tell if he's looking at me because he thinks I'm pretty, or if I'm threatening him somehow."

"Heterosexual men are the worst to figure out." Jooheon surveys the dance floor.

"Also smell the worst." Kihyun scrunches up his nose, and Minhyuk agrees with such disdain that whatever challenge had been rising between them, falls. They call a truce over their mutual disgust of straight men.

"I think your sequin dress girl is looking at Hyungwon, though." Minhyuk gives Jooheon a little comforting shake.

Jooheon takes it well though, really doesn't seem to care. "Whatever. We haven't even been here that long." He turns to Hyungwon. "You gonna go get her, hyung?"

Except Hyungwon does not look interested in the girl. "I don't think so."

Changkyun reaches for the next glass of water. He's come out with them a few times, and he doesn't know much about their preferences except Minhyuk prefers men, especially ones bigger than him (see: Hyunwoo) and Hyungwon usually looks unimpressed by the options, man or woman, and Jooheon has ended up sandwiched between two people multiple times, and has left with both people multiple times.

"You know what I want?" Minhyuk interrupts his thoughts but isn't looking at him. "Someone with a nice ass."

"Ooh. Like Changkyunnie's." Jooheon winks at him, and Changkyun gets a little red but likes the compliment, and likes that Kihyun protectively stiffens a little behind him.

"You do have a very nice ass." Hyungwon comments with a cute smile.

"Thank you." Changkyun bends over a little to pop his ass out and tap his hip. "I'm quite proud of it."

Kihyun slides his hand over it to give Changkyun a little squeeze and they both laugh a little as Kihyun says, "I noticed his ass before I noticed how good he smelled."

"I asked Wonho-hyung to tailor the fuck out of those pants." Changkyun laughs, sitting on Kihyun's hand and getting all giggly as Kihyun gropes him playfully before pulling away.

"Kihyun always gets the jackpot." Jooheon shakes his head with a smile, and Changkyun earnestly smiles.

"You guys think I'm a jackpot?"

They all jump in to shower him with praise; he's smart, he's witty, he's funny, he's romantic and sweet and handsome and intelligent and Changkyun melts under the compliments, and it kills him that they come from a place of honesty, that Kihyun's friends love him to this extent. And he gets it, a little more, why Kihyun wants so badly to get to know Hyunwoo and Wonho as actual friends. Even though they're at a club trying to find a human to drink from, which is the oddest thing to ever become an actual part of Changkyun’s life, they're hanging out and praising him and Changkyun can feel the way Kihyun also glows proudly under it all.

"You guys have what I want." Hyungwon wears a fond smile. "A relationship with someone that loves me for me."

Not for the money, or the newness of dating the supernatural, but for that person at their core: which is how Changkyun and Kihyun love each other.

Changkyun holds both of Kihyun's hands and gives him a squeeze.

To lighten the mood though because if it continues Changkyun will get choked up, he pops his ass out again and does a little shake. Jooheon and Minhyuk hoot and holler and Hyungwon claps a little embarrassed, and Kihyun's hand whips out warningly. An evil little voice in Changkyun's head cackles.

He sits squarely on Kihyun’s crotch. He plants his feet carefully. The music blasts, the beat pumps, and Changkyun sways his hips to it.

Kihyun's hands fly to his hips to hold him place but Changkyun throws a coy look over his shoulder and Jooheon laughs loudly, and Changkyun grinds his hips again.

If it were possible, Kihyun would probably be bright red about now. His eyes widen, he presses his lips together, and his grip loosens. Tightens. Loosens.

And that's how Changkyun ends up giving his boyfriend a lap dance in front of their friends, grinding his hips to the music and digging back deeper when he feels Kihyun start to get hard. Kihyun uses one hand to cover his face and lean in a little, press his forehead to Changkyun’s shoulder. Changkyun bites his tongue and slows his pace, Kihyun grips him hard enough to stop him.

"Well." Minhyuk rises to his feet with a bow. "Now I'm going to go make a move. Have fun." He sends Changkyun a thumbs up as he moves into the crowd of people.

Jooheon winks at Changkyun as he gets up. "You two are going home, huh?"

Finally, Hyungwon rolls his eyes and gets to his feet. "I'm going to shoot my shot with sequin dress."

Changkyun twists to look at Kihyun, who still has a hand over his face. "My apartment is literally ten minutes from here. It's a Friday night I'll bet Wonho-hyung and Hyunwoo-hyung aren't home."

Kihyun opens his eyes, bright and red and something desperate sparks hotly.

They leave the booth looking as obvious as possible. Kihyun ducks, a smile playing on his lips as he drags Changkyun across the dance floor, across the club, and outside, where he hails a taxi. He tells the driver Changkyun’s address, and even though they sit a good distance apart, for the sake of appearances, the tension still saturates the air. The taxi driver, though, seems oblivious. And they want him to keep that ignorance, even as Kihyun reaches over, safe at the low angle not visible in the rear-view mirror, safe in the darkness of the night, and presses his heel into Changkyun’s crotch.

Changkyun tries, valiantly, to cover up the sound of his groan by humming along to the song playing on the radio. He doesn’t even know the song.

Kihyun massages him through his jeans but doesn’t look at him, the son of a bitch. Changkyun throws his head back, holding his breath by biting his lips, legs spreading so Kihyun can continue to pet him through his pants.

Fuck. Fuck. What a fucking asshole.

By the time they get to the apartment, Changkyun’s body is sparking, alive and over-heating. Kihyun’s rubbing the tip of his boner and making a wet stain on the front of Changkyun’s jeans. He’s so worked up he doesn’t even care.

They're five floors up, and one of Changkyun’s neighbors is in the elevator. He practically plasters himself against the cool elevator wall, inhaling gulp and gulp of fresh air. His neighbor’s either picked up on the vibe rolling off the couple and is choosing to ignore it, or is oblivious as fuck. Changkyun doesn’t give a fuck which.

He presses the pin for his lock incorrectly. Kihyun crowds him against the door.

He presses the pin incorrectly a second time, curses under his breath and whines when Kihyun presses his erection against his ass.

“Focus, darling.” Kihyun uses his own, albeit smaller, hand to guide Changkyun to the right numbers. The door swings open and Changkyun’s ripping off his shirt and leaving it in the entryway like he’s been dying with it on.

“Fuck me.” Changkyun pleads into Kihyun’s mouth, pulling at his clothes. “Please, Ki. Fuck me.”

Here, Kihyun doesn’t hide. Here, Kihyun’s red eyes shine through the dark. Here, his canines catch the lights that shine in through the window of Changkyun’s bedroom.

He closes and locks the door, shimmies out of his jeans and climbs over Changkyun, teeth scraping his lower lip.

If Kihyun wants to play and tease, Changkyun also knows how.

“Bite me.” Changkyun groans it out, pleads, all light and airy and with a tilt of his head, of his jugular, of that spot on his neck that Kihyun likes to bury his face into, lick at, dig his teeth into.

Kihyun crawls over Changkyun’s body and encases him, growls so low, so gone by the offer, and Changkyun’s body burns feverish. He can’t gather his thoughts long enough to think that pushing Kihyun to the edge of control, kissing him with small whines slipping between their wet lips, all noisy and begging, will leave him limping and sore tomorrow. A little, sick and twisted part of him can’t wait to feel that edge of pain in the morning, a small reminder of how Kihyun takes care of him.

All Changkyun can think about are Kihyun’s hands on him, tongue lapping into his mouth, the wetness and desperation as Changkyun claws at Kihyun, whines low at the hands on his hips. He thinks of how it feels when Kihyun drops the sweet little human act and fucks him like he’s worthless.

So he breathes, “Drink from me, use me,” against the curve of Kihyun’s beautiful jawline.

A hand slips against his hips, slips under him and pulls him in, slides Changkyun against the sheets and his legs notch around Kihyun’s hips as Kihyun pulls him closer.

There’s a low rumble against his cheek, the soft slide of Kihyun’s tongue against Changkyun’s skin as he licks down to his neck. And Kihyun presses his lips there, wet and his breath airy and short, where Changkyun’s heart pounds in his neck. He grabs Changkyun’s hair in a fistfull and yanks him to the side and Changkyun opens his mouth and moans, fingernails scraping against the expanse of Kihyun’s shoulder blades.

“You're so impatient, my love.”

Kihyun, finally, whines. Low and feral. His eyes pool, wild and uncontrolled and he grabs for Changkyun, forcing him to lie against the sheets. Changkyun barely has time to fix the pillows and Kihyun’s on him, lube dripping from his fingers and one already moving between his legs.

“You take so fuckin’ long.” Changkyun scrapes his nails against the short hairs of Kihyun’s nape, pulling him with a little force, too.

Changkyun spreads his thighs, lifts his hips and shoves a pillow underneath for leverage. He groans, screws his eyes shut as Kihyun glides his wet finger over his opening, but doesn’t push in. Just makes a mess of lube. He smears it all around him, presses teasingly, eyes watching as Changkyun’s thigh muscles jump, as he groans and digs his hips down. Sometimes Kihyun gets playful, drags it out, makes Changkyun plea and drool against his skin, his chest, or face down against the sheets. But Changkyun’s had enough teasing, his body quivering, his dick already leaking pathetically. He bucks his hips again, grabbing at Kihyun and hauling him down to nibble on Kihyun’s lips, taking his lower lip into his mouth and press their tongues together; all at once and rapacious.

“Please. _Please_.” Changkyun grips Kihyun’s shoulders, drags down his biceps, and throws his head back and gasps, loud, his breath sucked out as one finger finally pushes in. Kihyun’s other hand comes to curl around his neck. He has so much power over Changkyun. Changkyun is small, breakable in his hands, despite Changkyun being broader, wider, taller by not a lot, but just enough for other people to notice. With just one hand, just the two fingers that currently apply pressure to the curve under Changkyun’s jawline, Kihyun could snap bone with what he’d consider to be nothing more than a pinch.

Maybe Changkyun revels a little in knowing that Kihyun cares for him so much. He gasps as it hurts, just a little, his jaw clenched, eyes wild and blurry, staring up at the deep red of Kihyun’s bright, vicious eyes.

“You’re such a fuckin’ brat.” Kihyun says, thumb curling under Changkyun’s jaw to angle and expose his neck. Changkyun grinds his hips down, trying for more, vision and body blurred out. He’s feverish with want, a little sadistic in the way he wants. “I can’t believe, after all this time…” Kihyun moves his hand to Changkyun’s face, thumb pressing into the corner of Changkyun’s mouth. “You have me wrapped so tightly around your finger.”

While Changkyun all about loses it, Kihyun’s mouth hot and fast and insatiable against his neck, Kihyun’s fingers working in and out, hooking, dragging out the ugliest, most pathetic noises Changkyun’s ever made. Kihyun wields him like a fucking puppet, knows where to press, pinches at Changkyun’s hole with his thumb on the outside and Changkyun gasps, gripping the bedsheets, gripping Kihyun’s hair, toes curling as he’s tugged closer and closer.

“ _Yes_ ,” He whines high and needy, bucking his hips against Kihyun’s hand.

Kihyun pulls his fingers out, leaving Changkyun feeling empty and raw. But then his two fingers slide back into him, wetter with lube, and Kihyun leans over to press burning kisses along Changkyun’s jaw. Even in the moment, even though he already knows the answer, Kihyun mumbles, “Are you ready for me?” Kihyun’s already there, rubbing along Changkyun’s rim. He groans, angles for their lips to meet and wraps both arms around Kihyun’s shoulders.

“Yeah.”

Kihyun is always so good to him, takes good care of him, always attentive and aware, that even as he gets between Changkyun’s legs, hooking Changkyun’s knees over his shoulder, Changkyun feels warm in the middle of everything else. In the middle of all the nonsense swimming through his head, even as Kihyun fills him with his dick, as Changkyun gasps, throws his head back and balls the sheets into his fists, he feels loved and cherished. It’s more powerful than anything else he’s experienced.

A breath catches in his throat as Kihyun stops, and they’re melded, hip to hip. Kihyun rubs his hands up and down the front of Changkyun’s thighs pressed against his chest, and the desire behind his eyes weighs down and winds Changkyun. Kihyun’s so expressive. It makes Changkyun crazy, and acutely aware of how much he drives his boyfriend crazy. Kihyun grits his teeth as Changkyun shifts, adjusting himself so the slide will be easier, and their skin rubs and Kihyun’s grip becomes a little more bruising.

“Move,” He mumbles, voice low and raspy like Kihyun likes. “Give it to me,”

And Kihyun does. He bends Changkyun in half, lifting his ass away from the pillow.

Kihyun moves hard, fast, wastes no time in finding and pounding into Changkyun’s prostate. Long strokes. And it’s so much, it’s so much, that Changkyun screws his eyes shut and just takes it,

“Such a good, sweet boy,” Kihyun mumbles, and Changkyun doesn’t think he could get any louder, voice breaking as Kihyun’s hips piston into him, deep, so fucking deep, so fucking full, taking as much as he gives. Kihyun, always such a gentleman, such a lovely, lovely boyfriend, fucks like none of that. Changkyun loves when Kihyun loses control like this, folding Changkyun in half so his lower body’s already protesting, Changkyun feels a wreck. All he’s doing is take— take— taking while Kihyun gives, hard and passionate and dizzying, as he pushes all the way forward, forcing Changkyun’s knees to his ears and Changkyun can feel the way his body flushes, from the tip of his ears all the way down to his fucking toes.

“Drink from me."

Kihyun huffs, his breath wet against Changkyun’s lips. “Darling, are you sure?”

Changkyun nods, one hand curling around the back of Kihyun’s neck, gasping as Kihyun’s hips slow, uneven. He shifts, practically lays against Changkyun and Changkyun’s legs can’t stand the strain anymore. His knees slide off of Kihyun’s shoulders, and then he’s tangling himself around Kihyun, knees hooked over elbows, arms around Kihyun’s neck, arching his back and groaning when a hand circles around his cock. Kihyun applies pressure to the tip, smears pre-come, and Changkyun breathes out.

There's a pause, a moment where Kihyun is over him, pushing into him, fucking him so full, holding him by his side, and Kihyun has to adjust his position, arch a little bit. He pulls away to look down at Changkyun, and the dim lights cast long shadows over his face, slanting his angles even sharper. The red of his eyes shine through the dim, the light captures a gleam against his sharp canines as he parts his lips. He looks like a predator in the night, hungry and merciless.

And Changkyun feels so small underneath him, helpless and tiny. So fucking vulnerable, but he spreads his legs even further and Kihyun grinds him into the mattress and all Changkyun can do is give in. He drops his head to the side, eyes fluttering shut. Kihyun holds Changkyun down by his hands, their intertwined hands pushing into the mattress on either side of Changkyun's head. Kihyun pulls back. Slow. Pulls all the way out and Changkyun whines at the loss, at how empty and wet he feels.

Kihyun doesn't have to hold Changkyun's head to the side because Changkyun gives him so much so willingly.

As Kihyun pushes back in with a long stroke, his thick cock filling Changkyun back up, teeth sink into his neck, push through a layer of skin, and Changkyun's whole body racks through a shiver that steals his breath. Adrenaline runs hot and fast.

And Changkyun breathes back in. Eyes roll in his head. The sounds of Kihyun whimpering against his neck, moaning like Changkyun’s the best thing he’s ever had in his mouth, on his tongue. Changkyun couldn't hold back the sounds he makes not even a little bit, unfiltered until there's nothing coming out of his mouth but an exhale, and his eyes shut and his mind flutters out.

Changkyun… doesn’t know how to explain the feeling, the feeling of being covered like this, loved like this. All he knows is he gives in; gives totally in to Kihyun, body sagging against the bed and trembling with pleasure. Pulled in so many directions at once, vision blurring out.

When it’s over, when he comes back, Kihyun’s curled up against him stroking his hair.

“Here,” Kihyun says softly, fingers slipping through Changkyun’s sweaty hair before reaching for a glass of water on the nightstand.

Changkyun hums, drinks the whole thing and wraps his arms tighter around his boyfriend’s middle. They curl together again, and Changkyun rests his head on Kihyun’s chest, feels his own heartbeat, and isn’t bothered anymore by the silence he’s met with through Kihyun’s chest.

“I love you.” He mumbles.

Kihyun trails a hand up and down his spine. “I love you more than you know, Changkyun.”

* * *

It’s a fact that Kihyun sleeps less than Changkyun, and while he usually gets out of bed in the middle of the night or way too goddamn early, he can’t walk around Changkyun’s apartment at four in the morning without it being weird. He’ll lie in bed and wait for Changkyun to wake up the few times he's stayed over— the two times before today, since easier to avoid having to lie to Wonho and Hyunwoo than try to explain why Kihyun’s up most of the night. When they first started dating, Wonho asked if Kihyun didn’t like him and Hyunwoo, if that could be why he was avoiding the place.

Going through the lengths they do to keep Wonho and Hyunwoo in the dark is just another punch to Changkyun's guilt.

Today, when Changkyun wakes up, wonderfully sore, Kihyun’s not in his bed. Instead, he can hear the sound of Kihyun’s laughter through the apartment.

Changkyun gets up, slides some socks on and a pair of pj pants, and stumbles over to the kitchen.

Wonho looks up from the stove and his smile falters for a second. Then he’s beaming, and Kihyun’s the one looking a little white.

“Love,” Kihyun outstreches his hand and Changkyun pads right over to him, giddy, and plops into his lap.

“Morning.” Wonho looks between them, looks a little soft. He’s always been supportive, always expressed how grateful he is that Changkyun has someone like Kihyun in his life, though Changkyun and Kihyun keep them at a distance. Wonho doesn’t seem them interact much, and the joy that overflows in his smile only digs the guilt deeper in Changkyun’s heart.

Kihyun drops a kiss to Changkyun’s shoulder. He’s always aware.

“Y’know, when Hyunwoo-hyung and I came home last night…” Wonho’s gaze falls to Changkyun’s waist. He feels Kihyun’s hand drape around him. “There were your clothes leading down the hall to your bedroom.”

Kihyun’s fingers spread out on Changkyun’s waist and he has a very quick flash of last night, of Kihyun’s hand being on waist then, in that exact spot.

Must be a bruise.

Changkyun’s still too dopey to care.

When Wonho turns around, turning on the blender, Kihyun runs his hands through Changkyun’s hair, trying to make him at least somewhat presentable.

“You’ll be the death of me.” Changkyun thinks he hears Kihyun mumble. The blender’s too loud.

Once it stops, everything rings for a moment, and then Wonho’s pulling two glasses out of the cupboard.

“So, like I was telling Kihyun-sshi.” Whose hand is around Changkyun’s waist again, hiding the bruise. “I really wanted to go to Jeju for vacation and we should get the whole gang.” Wonho sits at the table, sliding over a protein shake. Changkyun belatedly realizes it’s for Kihyun. Which means…. it’s his.

He hates Wonho’s protein shakes.

His stomach is already bubbling, protesting the chalky taste.

“Are you really okay with that, hyung?” Kihyun wraps his hand around the cup but doesn’t move to drink it. Just slides it closer. “I wouldn’t want to intrude on some friend bonding time.”

Wonho shakes his head, that beautiful smile on his face. How can that beautiful mouth of his consume these disgusting drinks? How. “No way, you and Changkyun have been together over a year now.”

“Two years.” Changkyun corrects. Kihyun drops another kiss to his shoulder.

Wonho beams again. Can he stop doing that? “Yeah, two years.”

At that, Changkyun blushes. Kihyun rubs his side teasingly. He’s a romantic, sue him.

“Anyway, I think… It’d be nice, y’know? If you can take off from work. I know you’re always busy.” It’s a cover-up. Kihyun works fairly regular hours. Sometimes he doesn’t even work. “And we could all just… hang out? Like. It’d be fun. If you want to invite your friends, that’d be cool.”

Kihyun leans his head against Changkyun’s shoulder blade, quiet and contemplating. “You’d really want me there, hyung?” Kihyun calling Wonho 'hyung' throws Changkyun through a loop every time.

“Yes!” Wonho is adamant. “You make Changkyun happy so, therefore, I like you, too.”

Changkyun doesn’t understand what happened and what stars aligned the moment the universe threw Wonho into his life. He doesn’t know how to tell the universe he’s so grateful for Wonho. He’s really put effort into this; really wants to get to know Kihyun simply because he’s with Changkyun.

“I’ll take the time off.” Kihyun says, Changkyun can hear the smile on his face. “And I’ll talk to a few of my friends.”

Wonho bangs excitedly on the table. “Yeah!” Finishes his shake. “Tell me how many friends you want to go and we’ll try and plan something? I wanna be outside, y’know? While it’s still warm.”

“Warmish.” Changkyun complains.

Wonho laughs, and then he taps his neck, staring at Changkyun’s.

Oh fuck.

Oh shit.

“You’re gonna need some serious concealer.”

Changkyun nearly topples out of Kihyun’s lap. “Er— yeah. Uh,” He slaps a hand over his neck and he can feel the distress radiate off Kihyun. “Sorry… sorry you…” _Had to see that._

“No, no.” Wonho laughs, but he’s a little red. “I’m, uh, gonna shower.” Wonho leaves to take his morning shower, Kihyun shoves the nasty protein shake into Changkyun's hand.

“Drink it.”

“God. No way. He won’t know if I dump it down the sink.”

“You’re…” Changkyun’s already halfway to the sink. “Wonho spent twenty minutes chopping and cleaning the fruit.”

Damn, right to Changkyun’s heart.

“He cut all the strawberries and pulled off the leaves and measured extra powder and milk so I could have some, too, and you’re going to throw out his hard work?”

Kihyun holds the drink in front of Changkyun’s face.

“If they knew...”

Yeah. Yeah. If they knew. If they knew Kihyun was a vampire they wouldn’t be in this situation. They wouldn’t be any of the ridiculous situations they end up in. And Kihyun’s right.

“It’s not your secret to tell.” Kihyun says, and Changkyun grits his teeth. “It’s mine. And I want to tell your friends.” Kihyun’s voice rises a little, frustrated, but stern. “You’ve adapted so well to everything, I don’t see why you think your friends won’t either. I want to get to know them. I want to be a bigger part of your life, Changkyun. I don’t want you to try and hide me anymore.”

Changkyun looks at Kihyun, hollowed out and tired so early in the morning. “I’m not hiding you…”

“Remember when you and Hyunwoo-sshi came to the company and took Minhyuk and I out for coffee?” Of course, it’s only been a few weeks. “And you looked at me like you didn’t want me there.” Kihyun’s expression softens, “And that bothers me, Changkyun.”

“I’m sorry.” Changkyun twists into Kihyun’s arms, pulling in for a hug. “I don’t mean it like that.”

“And things are getting ugly in Seoul. The rise in supernaturals has everyone worried, and the hunters can’t keep up, and they’re worried about outsiders coming in. It’s about time we told your friends.”

Changkyun holds onto him a little tighter. He never meant to make Kihyun feel bad. He never wanted Kihyun to think he’s being hid.

“Next weekend. Let’s do it next weekend. Just you and me?” Changkyun offers, trying to think of how to do this without making his best friends feel cornered.

“Yeah. Yes.” Kihyun holds Changkyun around his waist, drops a kiss to his bare shoulder. “We’ll do it at my house.”

“I can tell them it’s a movie night.”

Kihyun pulls back. Changkyun doesn’t realize how much of this Kihyun had been carrying until he sees his eyes are softer. Kihyun kisses him sweetly. Changkyun pulls him in for one more kiss.

* * *

How does Changkyun show his friends he still loves them and thinks of them?

The rift between them grew way out of his control, and he's worried if they don't talk about this it'll spiral even more out of control. Because he and Kihyun are at that point in their relationship where they're ready for Changkyun to move in. He's almost there, anyway. He has keys, codes, his own space in the bathroom. Kihyun had a sauna installed for him, let him redecorate most of the house. It's home to Changkyun; Kihyun and the dogs.

Wonho, Hyunwoo and Changkyun’s lease is up in three or four months. He doesn't see why he'd renew, at this point. He doesn't see why Hyunwoo and Wonho would either find a smaller place, or another roommate. They knew this day would come, that they'd start dating, want places of their own with their significant other's, or possibly they'd find jobs that would help them afford their own place. But this isn't the way to do it. Changkyun can't just move out when there's already so much distance between his life and theirs. He has to close that gap first. He still cares so much about his friends.

Hyunwoo is busy the day that Changkyun and Wonho decide to go to a fair. Kihyun switches out Changkyun’s credit card for his own, and Changkyun doesn't realize until he's trying to pay for drinks at a stand and he sees Kihyun's name and not his on the stupid little piece of plastic.

Wonho leans over and giggles, catching on.

"I'll cover his stuff." Changkyun doesn't mean to sound rude to the cashier, but he gets a little bitter when Kihyun does these types of things.

"You'll…" Wonho grins widely. "Really? You'll pay for me?"

"Yeah," Changkyun steps aside so Wonho can place his snacks on the counter. The clerk behind the counter looks at them funny, but rings Wonho's purchase with Changkyun’s. He pays with Kihyun's card. And since Kihyun is always so adamant, Changkyun will pay for all of Wonho's things today. He buys him cute earrings, tells him not to worry about it when Wonho frowns at a price tag.

"Wow, I want a sugar daddy…" After a few hours, Wonho has a pep in his step and a few bags hanging from his elbow.

Ignoring the sugar daddy comment because it still makes Changkyun feel weird, he stares at the bags weighing down on Wonho's arms. "You could probably fit most of that stuff into one bag, hyung." He nibbles on some candies.

"No way, I look expensive like this." Wonho flips his hair and does a silly little pose. At least someone's enjoying splurging Kihyun's money.

"You look good," Changkyun agrees with a laugh. "Expensive and sexy."

"Don't touch me, just buy me things." Wonho laughs, spins so all the bags fly in the air around him. Changkyun laughs and damn, it feels so good to be hanging out with his hyung again, carefree and easy, like Wonho knows Changkyun still cares, and he's willing to move forward as long as Changkyun is. A lot of the day is reconnecting, catching up on shit that Changkyun can't believe he ever fell behind on. He's been a really shitty friend.

Mid-way through hearing about Wonho's shitty new coworker, an arm slips around Changkyun’s, and it's way too warm to be Kihyun or any vampire. It's a werewolf. It's Mark.

Changkyun isn't bothered by their linked hands, he leans into Mark a little.

"What's up?"

Mark scans the crowd. "I texted you."

It takes a second to click, but Changkyun realizes that Mark can't say whatever he texted to Changkyun with Wonho around. So Changkyun checks his phone, pretends not to notice the way Wonho is frowning at how his and Mark's elbows are linked.

"Mark-hyung, Wonho-hyung. Wonho-hyung, Mark-hyung." They exchange pleasantries around him, while he opens the chat with Mark. It reads that he knows Changkyun is in the area, he can smell him, and he shouldn't stick around because the gumiho is around.

Changkyun looks up from his phone, his heart twisting frantically. He doesn't know what to say that he could say in front of Wonho.

"I lost my date." Mark keeps looking around. The smells of all the people and food and things, generally, must make it hard for him to pinpoint where the gumiho is. Changkyun’s sure that Mark's boyfriend, Jaebeom, has to be around here, too.

"Your date? What do they look like?" Wonho looks around Changkyun to look at Mark.

Mark gives Wonho a smile, then gestures to someone with his chin. "Like that dumbass over there."

Jaebeom furrows his brow when he sees Mark's arm tangled with Changkyun’s. They've only known each other for a year or so, they met by accident, Mark had approached Changkyun in a convenience store, flashed his golden eyes and pointed at Changkyun’s bitten neck, and said, ‘If you’re in trouble, I can help you.’

Then, in the middle of the store at seven o’clock in the morning, Changkyun had to tell this werewolf stranger that he willingly lets his vampire boyfriend drink from him. Mark took it very, very well. Now they’re friends, and he stops by with his mate, Jaebeom, or invites Changkyun out for lunch. Changkyun doesn't know much about werewolf mating patterns, but the way Mark and Jaebeom orbit around each other is a language of its own.

"We're here with Jihyo-yah, Dayoung-ah, and Chaeyoung-ah." Jaebeom says, slipping his hand into Mark's, who lets go of Changkyun. "But we lost them in the crowd."

Changkyun has been around enough to know that means that the five of them were hunting the gumiho, but they can't find her. His stomach rumbles unpleasantly. This is not good.

"What're you two up to?" Mark asks, his question seemingly breezy and unobtrusive, but Changkyun knows it's laced with _you should leave the area_ , and _be safe._ Changkyun looks at the crowds of humans, unsuspecting and so naive to the creatures walking between them. One of which, is out to hunt.

"I'm actually kinda hungry." Wonho glances at Changkyun, thank heavens he wants to leave.

"Let's go get barbecue?" Changkyun offers, trying to think of one that's closer to home instead of one anywhere near this district.

Wonho nods quickly, liking the idea. He’s so unaware that Changkyun feels bad; feels like he made dozens of steps back on their relationship when they'd made so much progress this day. He takes back all the secrets, all the fights, knows he owes Kihyun a lifetime of apologies. He should've never kept this a secret. Wonho and Hyunwoo should know.

"Excuse me." Wonho isn't speaking to Changkyun, but it snaps him out of zoning out. Wonho's speaking to Mark. "You have very beautiful eyes."

Mark's eyes are the color of a jar of fresh honey, warm in the sun. Jaebeom’s are much darker, chestnut, like a winter brown, so striking and beautiful against his light skin and dark hair.

"Thank you!" Mark beams, and Changkyun catches the way Wonho looks down at his smile, his teeth, noticing something out of sorts but not out of sorts enough for him to immediately place what it is.

They part ways here, but not without Wonho inviting Mark and Jaebeom and their three other friends, too. They decline, say they have plans already but they hope to bump into Wonho again. Changkyun hopes when they meet again, it'll be under circumstances he can control.

Wonho may think they're out of range, but Changkyun knows they're not. Werewolves have crazy hearing.

"Why are all your friends so beautiful?"

"Huh?"

Wonho shrugs. "I've just… realized. All your new friends, they're gorgeous."

The word _new_ doesn't sit right with Changkyun. What does Wonho mean, _new_? Why not, _other_? Does he think he's an old friend? That's bullshit. Changkyun panics a little, doesn't know how to answer this without just spilling all the beans.

"Hyung…" Changkyun needs to tread carefully. He knows how insecure Wonho can be. But he knows how to compliment Wonho, too. "Do you not realize how beautiful you are?"

Wonho laughs and shakes it off, shy and rosy from the compliment. “You know what I meant!”

Changkyun’s jaw tenses. _All your new friends…_

Yeah, he knows what Wonho meant.

* * *

A weekend in. Changkyun can handle that. He can handle that. Maybe if he writes it a thousand times and mediates on it, he can believe it.

The world out there— the world right under their feet, Kihyun's world, is everything Changkyun’s ever had nightmares about. He fears what he can't see, what crawls in the dark and feeds on his nightmares and feeds the darkness. Perhaps it's selfish to keep his friends unaware. Minhyuk seems to think so, at least. He gives Changkyun a lecture, how it's unfair, how he's potentially putting them in danger, and Kihyun doesn't counter his points but instead gives Changkyun a comforting touch to his shoulders. He tries to lessen the blow a little, but doesn't disagree, and Changkyun gets a cold guilt in the pit of his belly when he imagines Wonho walking home late, getting attacked by a shifter, or Hyunwoo, letting a ghoul into his classroom. Changkyun has to tell his friends.

* * *

They want chicken and beer, just a casual night out. It's mostly guilt-fueled on Changkyun’s part, like he's trying to give his friends one last normal thing, one last normal night out before they start questioning things. He even plans to pay for it himself, but rolls his eyes at the won that Kihyun must've shoved in his wallet while he slept.

They mostly talk about the upcoming weekend; plans to do absolutely nothing. Changkyun would love something like this; a whole weekend in, a movie marathon lined up, lists of their favorite take out places starred for quick decisions, but he'll have Kihyun going full-vampire in the living room and that's guaranteed to put a damper on things.

Just as Wonho and Hyunwoo debate drinks they should bring, a stranger comes and puts a hand on one of the extra chairs around their table.

Wonho gives the man a friendly smile. "Do you need the chair?" His gaze searches for friends. There's no one.

"Do you mind?" The man asks, Changkyun taking in the man's features, how many earrings he has, the dirt under his fingernails. Changkyun looks at the man's teeth, doesn't recognize them as vampire or werewolf, his eyes don't shine like a shifters. He looks human. Smells like one that needs deodorant, too.

Hyunwoo raises an eyebrow, and none of them say 'sure' but no one says 'no' either. So the man takes a seat, swivels towards Changkyun with a smug little smirk. And Changkyun’s mind spins, trying to recount the surface level details Kihyun told him to watch out for: eyes, teeth, hands, nails, ears. There are subtle differences between the supernatural and humans, that if trained properly, can be discerned. This man has none of those features. He seems like a human. But he watches Changkyun, grins in a way that tells he knows exactly what Changkyun’s doing.

"You and I are," his gaze flickers to Changkyun's neck, where Kihyun drinks from him. There shouldn't be a mark, it should be closed and healed. Panic prickles at the inside of Changkyun’s throat. "Almost the same."

Changkyun looks at the mans face; the square shape of his jaw, the heaviness of his eyes, searing it into his memory in case he needs to remember his visage later.

"Can we help you?" Wonho asks, and Hyunwoo leans back a bit, eyeing the stranger. Who shifts a little, and Changkyun spots the head of a switchblade on the man's belt. The silver necklace hiding behind the collar of his long-sleeve shirt. He's a hunter.

"No, I'll be quick." The man shoots a well trained smile at Wonho and Hyunwoo, and turns back to Changkyun with a twisted smile, mirroring him to look like the exact monsters he hunts. "You're well trained, huh? They let you off the leash tonight?"

Changkyun looks up at his face, at the stubble on his chin, and sneers. A hunter wouldn't come after him in such a public spot. People idle by at the surrounding tables, they're not too far from the counter, and there are two witnesses, as much as Changkyun hates that they're in the middle of this. He needs a second, needs to play it cool. He reaches for the beer bottle on the table, wrapping his fingers around the damp glass. It's warm now, sweating in the summer night.

"Aren't you being careless?"

The hunter watches him, curiosity tugging at the corners of his face. "Aren't you a ballsy little pet."

Changkyun looks at him. Pet? _Pet_? This man thinks Changkyun’s a vampire's free meal? Funny.

The man must be able to read Changkyun’s expression, because he throws his head back and laughs. “Oh, aren’t you naive? Don’t think you’ve domesticated that monster.”

"Excuse me." Wonho leans over the table, locking eye contact with the hunter. He bristles, such an uncommon sight on usually docile and sweet Wonho. Even Hyunwoo's face sets unhappily, trying to read the situation to know how to best diffuse it.

"Can you leave." Hyunwoo says, but it doesn't sound like a suggestion.

The hunter smiles towards the two of them, his charming smile not working this time. "I'm on my way." He puts his hands in the air as a sign of surrender. But as he stands, he says, "Tell that monster of yours the Chae's aren't untouchable."

"What the fuck was that? Monster?" Wonho doesn't bother to wait until the man is out of earshot, gaze a little shaky as he looks at Changkyun.

"We, uhm." Changkyun watches where the man disappears to, trying to wave off his two friends worry while pulling his phone out of his pocket to call Kihyun. The hunter has a car, an older model black Hyundai, and there's at least two more people in the tinted car. Kihyun answers the phone, and not knowing what else to do, Changkyun spews the license plate number.

"Uh—? Love?" Kihyun mumbles what Changkyun said to him, already storing it away in that weird supernatural brain of his. "A license plate?"

"Remember it." Changkyun turns to his friends, panicking rising in his gut. "It's— I'm gonna explain. I'll explain, okay? I promise?" Then back into his phone he says, "A hunter just threatened the Chae Clan."

"A hunter did _what_?" Kihyun's voice drops dangerously low, "Where are you? I'll come get you."

"That's— no. Not a good idea. I'll go to you." Changkyun ends up paying for the bill with one of the bills Kihyun gave him, not wanting to waste another second at the table.

"Please stay on the phone with me. Did they touch you?” Kihyun says, sounding like he's moving around.

“No. But he... approached me.”

“Shit.” Kihyun hisses, panic rising. “Did they touch you?”

“No. No. I just… I’ll meet you at your house. I’m with Wonho-hyung and Hyunwoo-hyung.”

“Oh, oh no. My love. How are they?”

“Uh,” Changkyun glances over his shoulder, at his friend's expressions. They’re so different, but both worried. “Uh, fine, physically speaking?”

“Hurry home. Catch the next train, I want you to keep updating me where you are. Please. Please be safe.”

"I will. I love you." Changkyun hangs up the phone, pulling his friends into the subway. "Guys, I'm sorry and I know this is really weird, and please don't freak out," he spots a man watching him, at the bottom of the stairs. He has the same switchblade attached to his belt as the man from the table. Changkyun takes in his side profile, the peek of a tattoo staring up the back of his neck, the shape of his glasses.

"What's going on?" Hyunwoo grabs Changkyun by the shoulder as he passes his card to get them on the platform.

"Once we get to Kihyun’s I promise it'll make sense. I promise—" The hunter from the stairwell comes onto the platform. And. Well. Changkyun bites his tongue, inhaling deeply. Hyunwoo looks over his shoulder towards the man, then back to Changkyun.

"What's going on." He demands, stepping into Changkyun's personal space.

"We're being followed." If there's no easy way to say it he might as well just say it. “And it’s kind of a long story, but they're after Kihyun.”

Wonho glances over his shoulder, stiff. He steps closer to Changkyun. "This isn't funny."

How does he explain that they're being followed by hunters and they're after his boyfriend?

"I'm. I'm sorry." Changkyun takes Wonho's hand in his, and Hyunwoo reaches for his, gaze hard and cold. He's trying to understand. He really is. But there's a sliver of fear in his eyes. It’s too long of a story for Changkyun to just drop on them.

"Are you in trouble?" Hyunwoo's tone doesn't match the hard set of his eyes. It's soft and protective.

The train comes, just as Changkyun replies, "It's not me that's in trouble."

The hunter follows them onto the train car, sits all the way on the other end. By now, Hyunwoo and Wonho know that he's the man they need to be weary of.

"He has a knife." Wonho whispers. Hyunwoo tries not to look, but he can't. He looks at Changkyun, desperately trying to understand.

Changkyun pulls out his phone to text Kihyun and give him an update of their tail, and which stop comes next, and it says _read_ as soon as it delivers. There aren’t many people on the train, enough that would lead one to believe that they’d be safe, but after the hunter’s stunt at the restaurant, Changkyun thinks that’s not enough of a deterrent. He doesn’t think they’re safe. Until the next stop, and Changkyun spots Mark and Jaebeom get on.

They sit directly across from him, smile and wave. Changkyun could throw himself into the werewolves arms he’s so relieved to see them. He doesn’t know what kind of Supernatural 911 Kihyun sent out, but he’s eternally grateful that these two were in the area.

“They’re here to help.” Changkyun whispers to his friends, seeing the hunter go a little wide-eyed at the werewolves. Wonho stares at the couple, he knows them, he met them briefly. Mark grins and waves, as if this were a normal circumstance.

Their stop comes quickly. The hunter doesn’t try to hide that he follows them, making eye contact with Changkyun as they step off the train, as he grabs his friends by the hands and leads them towards Kihyun’s. They rush down the platform steps and make it around the corner, Kihyun’s house isn’t a far walk. But the hunter knows too much already, knows which stop is Kihyun’s.

Mark cuts Changkyun off around the corner, and Changkyun yells and flails and puts a hand over his racing heart. “Fuck you.” He rushes for a breath, and Mark laughs, wide-mouthed with massive canines. His eyes flare in the lighting, like an animal's. Hyunwoo and Wonho stiffen behind Changkyun.

“Jaebeommie and I got the hunters. You get to Kihyun’s.” Mark pats Changkyun’s shoulder. “Call us if you need something. We both got our phones.” He smiles at Hyunwoo and Wonho. “Nice to meet you, lemme guess,” He points to Hyunwoo, “Hyunwoo, right? You’re everything Changkyunnie’s explained—”

“Can you—?!” Changkyun points to the platform. There’s kind of something pressing happening right now.

Mark laughs and waves, “Bye-bye, Hyunwoo-sshi, Wonho-sshi, I totally wanted to meet you guys under non-life threatening situations.”

“Bye…” Wonho starts weakly, watching Mark hop up the platform steps.

Changkyun isn’t too familiar with Kihyun’s neighborhood. He knows the most direct route to the station, he knows where the convenience store is, where there’s a tailor that Kihyun takes his clothes to, where the daycare is. Only recently they’d started walking Toast and Coffee around the area, and if Changkyun’s memory serves him correct, there’s a shitty little alleyway by the deli. It should be around the next corner, away from Kihyun’s house.

“Uh, Kihyun-sshi lives in this neighborhood?” Wonho tugs on Changkyun’s sleeve, looking at all the tall fences and the rooftops peeking over them. Some of these houses are as big as their entire complex.

“Yeah,” Changkyun takes the corner away from Kihyun’s house. “Follow me. We’re…” He glances over his shoulder, sees the shadow of the hunter following them. Fuck. What does this mean for Mark and Jaebeom? “Taking the long way. Keep walking straight, okay? Just walk straight and wait for me on the corner.” Under the streetlight, where the convenience store should still be open. “And just wait there.”

“Where are you —?” Hyunwoo glances over his shoulder as Changkyun gives him a good shove forward. _Sorry, hyung_. “Please.” Changkyun begs, voice cracking. “Please just. I need a few minutes. Go.”

He dips into the small alleyway, where it smells, because the little deli throws their trash here. Changkyun leans against the wall and tries not to think of the grime covering it, takes a deep breath and watches the floor, waiting for the shadow. He can’t hear much. Hunters are trained to be vigilant and careful. Most of all though: quiet. They fight against creatures with heightened hearing, so they’re light on their feet. Changkyun takes another breath and then sees it, the head of the hunters shadow. He takes another deep breath in and pushes off the wall but the hunter spins his head, catches the movement with barely enough time to dodge. Changkyun grabs the man by the hem of his plaid button up, and yanks him into the alleyway. It’s way too tight a fit for the two of them. The hunter shoves Changkyun against the wall, the cement scrapes against Changkyun’s shoulders through the thin fabric of his shirt. The hunter had seen his movement, had seen him swing in for a punch, and pinned him. He’s strong, and laughs wickedly as Changkyun shoves against him.

“I heard you were a trained pet.”

Changkyun shoves, throwing the man off balance, creating enough distance that he can kick his leg up between them, and then he’s grappling for the man’s head, grunting as the man rushes right into his stomach, shoves him against the concrete again. Changkyun narrowly avoids bashing his head against the wall, heaves for a breath and throws his weight into a kick, pushing the man further back into the alley. But all the distance does is give the hunter enough time to reach to his side and pull out the knife and Changkyun barely dodges, stumbling back as the blade slices across the front of his chest. And the man swings again, so much less controlled, and Changkyun’s instinct tells him to block, the knife sweeping against his forearms. Blood trickles down his arm, too much, too fast, and the hunter switches his hold on the knife and Changkyun gets an opening, swinging up and grabbing the hand, twisting it, bringing them closer, twisting around so the hunter is curved over his back, and Changkyun pushes his weight back, crushes the man against the wall. It knocks the wind out of Changkyun, too.

The hunter heaves, misaligned, swings a missed punch at Changkyun’s jaw and Changkyun spins around too fast for him to regain his balance, blinking, and Changkyun can see the trickle of blood down the back of his neck, from his head hitting the wall— good, he’s been hurt, Changkyun can make it worse, Changkyun can crack the man’s skull against the concrete. He grabs the man by the front of his face, reeling him down, bending him at the waist, only to get enough momentum to slam the hunters head against the wall.

And the hunter finally frumples to the floor, quiet. Changkyun stumbles, stumbles out of the alley with his head spinning and his blood drenching his shirt, blood dripping from his fingertips, it’s not all his blood, the back of his shirt shredded, scrapes inflamed and throbbing already. Wonho comes running, face white as a sheet. Hyunwoo trails behind, slow and heavy.

And Kihyun’s hands are on Changkyun’s face, his red eyes wide with terror. “I can smell you from home, god, Changkyun. Changkyun, what did you _do_.”

“Where’s...” Changkyun falls into Kihyun’s arms, wincing at the pain that settles in. “Mark-hyung and Jaebeom-hyung… where’s...” Kihyun grabs Changkyun’s wrists and pulls him up to inspect the wound, quickly, because Minhyuk comes from down the road, breaking into a run as he turns the corner and sees the group of them.

“I thought…” His eyes skitter all over Changkyun. “I thought I smelled…” Right. Minhyuk lives only a few properties over from Kihyun. He looks into the alley, and gives Kihyun a tug. “We need to move.”

“We can’t leave him there.” Kihyun scans the street, pulling Changkyun into his chest. “They have trackers.”

Minhyuk gently touches Changkyun’s shoulder. “We’d be leading them right into our—”

“Bring Changkyun home. Bring them all home.” Kihyun rubs Changkyun’s side, presses a kiss to the side of his head. “Go with Minhyuk, my love. I’ll meet you at home. With Mark and Jaebeom, okay?”

Changkyun can stand on his own, adrenaline still running hot through his system, and he didn’t hit his head. He’s good. He’s good. He can follow Minhyuk. He can look back and double check on his two friends, still drown in guilt and remorse, and wish he could shield them from the hunter lying unconscious in the alley and the sight of him bruising and bleeding.

Changkyun turns away and follows Minhyuk down the street, leaving Kihyun kneeling over the hunter’s body, whatever he may do with it.

“You’re incredible, you know that?” Except it doesn’t sound like a compliment, not even a little bit. Minhyuk punches in the code to unlock the front gate, seeing Changkyun, Hyunwoo and Wonho through first. Wonho makes a small noise of surprise upon Kihyun’s home. Minhyuk walks with a rush in his step that Changkyun’s never seen before. Always poised, always beautiful, always flawless Lee Minhyuk, looks like someone, well, tries to hunt one of his friends. He rushes across the groomed front lawn.

Kihyun’s wealth is all out in the open now. Changkyun tried to deny the sugar daddy implications of the way Kihyun just hands him money, and now that they're in the yard of Kihyun’s extravagant home, Changkyun can't deny it anymore. Kihyun’s house is a sleek, modern home with tall windows for natural light, a balcony that wraps around the front and the price tag of the neighborhood, it's a modern day mansion. The front porch lights flicker on as they walk up to the door. Minhyuk keys in the PIN and pushes the door open. Wonho throws a look over his shoulder at Changkyun, who smiles sheepishly. Yeah, he’s actually dating a millionaire. Kihyun has generations of money sitting in his bank account. Generations that are all, very literally, his own.

The front door opens to the foyer, to the stairwell leading to the second floor, the spacious dining room to their right. Wonho overloads, looking between the polished floors and the blood Changkyun’s dripping all over it.

Many generations of art and culture decorate the house. Kihyun has no need for a real dining room, or the kitchen, really. He took up cooking classes recently, filling the cabinets with spices and ingredients he solely uses to cater to Changkyun, and tries recipes from all corners of the world. If Changkyun comes in this late, he’s usually greeted with Kihyun hopping down the hall, the smell of something savory dancing behind him, his eyes a lit and curious, already excited over the dish he made. Today is nothing like all those other days; Changkyun stumbles out of his shoes, head buzzing, arms clinging to Minhyuk.

“Shirt off.” Minhyuk instructs, moving through the foyer and towards the bathroom. “C’mon, I know Kihyun has a first aid kit somewhere.”

Changkyun gestures towards the shoe rack for his friends, where they can get an extra pair of slippers, and that’s when the sounds of paws skittering on hardwood come from upstairs. Lights flicker on and off automatically as Toast and Coffee make it through the house, and Wonho and Hyunwoo stall out as the Basset Hounds come, quite literally, tumbling down the stairs. They come barking and sliding all over the polished wood, running right past Changkyun, their big ears flopping as they crash into the guests’ legs. As much as he wants to stick around for introductions, Changkyun needs medical attention. He stumbles towards the bathroom and finds Minhyuk has already found the first aid kit, digging through it.

“I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing.” Minhyuk pushes the toilet seat down and motions to it. “Sit.”

Changkyun does, sighing in relief to get his weight off his shaky legs. He breathes a few times, pulls his shirt off as Minhyuk instructs him to. “Kihyun ever tell you how nice you smell?”

Changkyun laughs through his nose. “Yes.”

“You don’t smell too sweet, _ugh_ , you smell delicious. Maybe I’m jealous.”

“Ki...” Changkyun recoils as Minhyuk roughly rubs an alcohol wipe against his chest. “He said that’s why he came up to me.”

“You smell so good,” Minhyuk makes a face, tries to be funny and lighthearted and make a joke, but Changkyun can see the worry behind in his eyes. “We all smelled you as soon as you walked in. Kihyun called dibs first, the asshole.”

Changkyun knows his story, Kihyun told him before; that he smelled good, that he had immediately attracted attention, that Kihyun had no intention of bringing him to his house and sleeping with him. And then it was intense, mutual, everything leading them to where they are now.

“Guess it worked out, though.” Minhyuk blows on the wound as he cleans it, deepening the stain on the wipe. “Look at you, kicking a hunter’s ass and living to tell the tale. All things considered, you came out pretty unscathed.”

The throbbing across Changkyun’s shoulders begs to differ.

“You really did this for him...”

Changkyun just focuses on breathing. He’s immensely grateful that Minhyuk just talks. It anchors him down, steadies him, and the smile he gives Wonho and Hyunwoo as they appear in the bathroom doorway is a real one, full of apologies and a promise for later. He’ll explain later.

"Hop in the shower, wash up. Quick. Quick." Minhyuk shuts the door, and Changkyun doesn't even care, he takes his clothes off with Minhyuk in the bathroom with him, hisses at the hot water, but it feels nice against his sores. He's barely rinsed the conditioner out of his hair when Minhyuk taps against the glass shower door. "C'mon, get out. I have shorts for you."

Kihyun comes home, Changkyun only knows because he hears Kihyun on the other side of the door. “Love,” He says as Changkyun trips into a pair of sleep shorts. “Are you okay?”

“I’m good.” Changkyun really does mean it. He smiles a little as Kihyun opens the door. Changkyun sits on the toilet and Kihyun leans over to kiss the top of his head, musses up his wet hair. Kihyun nudges Minhyuk gently, says _thank you_ with a whisper. “Can you settle Wonho-sshi and Hyunwoo-sshi in?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Minhyuk stands, disposing the things he’d been holding in the garbage. He turns to Hyunwoo and Wonho, smiles warmly at them. “This is new for you, right? Come with me.”

Kihyun takes over cleaning Changkyun’s arms, dabbing at the wounds themselves with care. There’s a heaviness in his gaze, a dark cloud in the back of his eyes. “I’ve wondered if you were built for this, if it was a bad idea to bring you into this… But it seems you can really hold your own. You’re so smart and learn so quickly.” He leans in and kisses Changkyun’s arm, where the cut is, just a barely-there brush of his lips. Yeah, Changkyun can hold his own. He’s not a helpless little human, Kihyun and their friends made sure of that.

Changkyun turns when Kihyun asks him to, faces the counter, and leans over a bit so Kihyun can pass the cotton and alcohol over the scrapes on his back. “A brawl with a hunter, and you come out victor with minimal battle wounds?” Changkyun smiles a little as Kihyun plays it up, “Incredible. My knight in shining armor.”

“I fought a hunter, not a fuckin’ dragon.” Changkyun’s tone is light, and he’s tired. He’s so tired. But he has so much more to do tonight before he can go to bed.

“You could take a dragon.”

Changkyun closes his eyes, the stress of the night finally coming and sinking into his core. “Which kind of dragon?”

“The smaller ones, of course.”

“Are you telling me dragons are real?”

Kihyun sighs, wiping ointment over Changkyun’s shoulders. “It’d be cool if I could say yes.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Oh really? You believe in dragons?” Kihyun laughs, gently pulling at Changkyun to get him to turn forward again, extending his hand out so Changkyun can give him an arm, so he can tend to the cut.

“You, a vampire, are really telling me it’s impossible for there not to be huge ass lizards? You’re telling me that you need to drink blood to survive and Mark turns into a fuckin’ wolf on the full moon and Joy can change my entire mood just by swinging a rock in front of my face but oversized lizards aren’t real? What’s next, dinosaurs aren’t real?” Changkyun doesn’t have much energy, his laugh comes out breathy, but he’s really enjoying this stupid conversation.

“We have dinosaur bones, though.” Kihyun laughs, uses a q-tip to dab ointment everywhere. “Turn.”

Changkyun sits up so Kihyun can make a face at the slash across his chest, and put ointment on that, too.

“Okay, different cultures, different big-ass lizards. The Mayans, the Chinese, hundreds of years apart with legends of dragon-creatures, and you’re telling me it’s not even a possibility? Bull.” Changkyun smiles as Kihyun huffs in amusement. “Maybe some of our dragon friends died in the ocean.”

“The ocean’s terrifying.” Kihyun says Changkyun’s thoughts out loud.

“They’re all in the ocean.” Changkyun decides.

“That’s your theory? That dragons existed thousands of years ago and they all died in the ocean?” Kihyun looks up at Changkyun.

“That’s my theory.”

Kihyun finally relaxes, his posture falling a bit, his gaze turning tender, clear. He’s relieved Changkyun’s okay, and he’s even more relieved that he and Changkyun can argue about dragons in his bathroom.

“You’re amazing.”

Changkyun wants to lean over and kiss him, but his back doesn’t let him go very far. He can feel the wound stretching, still raw and sore. “Need you to come here.”

Kihyun does, leans up to give him a kiss, then moves to kiss the back of his hand. “I’m going to put some bandages on you, and we’ll speak to your friends over some tea.”

Wonho drops to his knees and Hyunwoo bends over to pick up Toast. So Changkyun introduces the sisters, Toast and Coffee. Toast as the yellow collar, Coffee has the pink one. Wonho doesn’t look like he’s going to give up Coffee any time soon. His eyes stay honed in on Changkyun though. Changkyun’s body starts to hurt as the adrenaline wears off, and he sits in the living room on the couch while Minhyuk boils tea for them in the kitchen, and Kihyun tries to make sure his guests are comfortable, offering to turn up or down the A/C, make them some food, anything. Wonho does the speaking, Hyunwoo broods, his eyes darting all over. He’s unsettled, and has every right to be.

The dogs help ease the mood. Significantly. They ran around and barked for attention as Minhyuk gave the tour of the house; a quick one, where the bedrooms are, the bathroom upstairs, the kitchen and the living room. Wonho is still taking it all in when Changkyun and Kihyun get to the living room.

The living room is the coziest room in the entire house; Changkyun and Kihyun spend a lot of time here. There are three couches, throws and pillows everywhere, a plush rug, a wall of plants that Changkyun had insisted on, and it’s colorful and dimly light at night, when all the lights in the house are off except for the few in here. It feels like an oasis, refuge away from the creatures outside the room. Kihyun’s house isn’t necessarily big, but open and modern, chic and minimal, a little personal. Changkyun knows that Jooheon designed it, and asked Kihyun for things he’d like; the master bedroom, the at home office, two guest rooms. The second floor opens up over the living room, and sometimes, when Kihyun’s feeling especially lazy, he just hops the railing and lands in the living room right next to the couch. Changkyun thinks he just does it to show off, because Changkyun’s sure he’d break something if he tried it.

This weekend wasn’t supposed to turn into a party, just Changkyun, Kihyun, Wonho and Hyunwoo, and Changkyun’s double life taking up the room like an elephant. Since things have taken a turn for the worse, the living room piles with vampires, werewolves, witches and hunters, _oh my_.

The world of these supernaturals really isn’t all that complex. They integrate well into the world, take on jobs, go to school, depending on what they are; Mark and Jaebeom met at a high school in the U.S, when Mark looked old enough to be a high schooler. Joy, Wendy, Seulgi, Irene and Yeri age at a pace much similar to a human’s, and Changkyun graduated from high school the same year Joy did. Jihyo, Nayoung, Sana and Chaeyoung are humans, just trained from a young age in martial arts and supernatural hunting. This isn’t everyone, though, this isn’t nearly everyone, they’re just a few faces in the underground workings of Seoul’s grid, but these are some of the most important players in this district.

Joy drops onto the couch next to Changkyun, “Lemme see.” She says, already reaching for the hem of his shirt and pulling. Changkyun tries to keep the front down over his stomach, but it’s too late, the entire room caught a glimpse of his chest.

“Ooh,” Wendy giggles, “Are those abs I see?”

Changkyun blushes and tries to pull his shirt down. Kihyun puts a pillow in his lap.

“I have a really good paste you can rub on this.” Joy says, looking at Kihyun.

“I used the other one you left for us.” The one the witches made for Changkyun when he started sparring with Jooheon.

“We have another one that’ll be good for cuts and open wounds.” Seulgi peers over at the scrapes. “Ugh, that’s ugly.”

Changkyun pulls his shirt out of Joy’s hands and covers his body.

"Do you still have that tea we made for you? When Jooheon almost broke your arm." Wendy looks between Kihyun and Changkyun, Changkyun sees Jooheon out of the corner of his eye just make a face at the memory. It was totally worth it, though, regular sparring matches with a vampire turned him into a badass.

"Uh, we might—" Kihyun doesn't have to get up because Wendy does. She bounces out of her seat and goes to the kitchen, opening the tea cabinet. She knows the layout of his kitchen.

"Uh. It's." She can't reach it. "Kihyun-oppa come here."

Kihyun gets up and goes to reach it for her. She grabs a mug while he does that, says she needs water but both she and Kihyun move in the same direction to move around each other, colliding, and the mug slips from her hands. Kihyun reaches out to steady her, leaving the mug to fall.

"Oops," Wendy steps back, waves her fingers with a twist of her wrist, and the shattered mug flies back up, once again whole in her palm. It doesn't matter how often she and the other witches do this cool shit around him, Changkyun is awed every time. Hyunwoo's expression sets like stone, though. Wonho frantically glances around the room to see if anyone else is as shocked he is. Of course no one else is.

“I still can’t believe they went after a human. They should’ve never touched you, they should’ve never even _looked_ at you.” Jihyo radiates an aura so outraged there’s no one standing within arm’s reach of her. Behind her in the kitchen, Wendy grimaces, does her thing in silence. She fills the mug with tap water, heats it up by sticking the pad of her thumb in it.

“It goes against all our codes and moral ethics.” Chaeyoung speaks with her lips turned down, eyebrows pressed so tight it might leave wrinkles. Wendy breezes by her and hands the now boiling cup of tea to Changkyun. Wonho gapes when he notices the water is, very literally, magically boiling.

“They’re rogues, they don’t belong to a family, then.” Jihyo looks seconds away from going out to find the hunters and string them up with her own hands. Hunters are usually families, parents that introduce their kids to this life. Most of the hunters in the room are related, somehow. Except for Jaebeom, his parents came from other regions of South Korea. He hangs around here because this is where his pack is laying low. Changkyun thinks they’re planning on staying a while; Mark and Jaebeom lived as nomadic hunters before Jaebom turned, and made their way to this side of the world looking for a place to rest while Jaebeom continued to adapt to his life as a werewolf. Changkyun hopes they stay. He really likes Mark. And he knows Jooheon made fast friends with Jackson, their pack leader, who Changkyun spots from across the room. Jackson’s an alpha, and though he’s smaller than Changkyun and has wide puppy eyes, there’s an air about him that’s powerful and intimidating. Mark and Jaebeom stand behind him. Even Hyunwoo and Wonho have their eyes on him.

“What did the Chae’s even do to piss these dudes off so much?” Yeri asks, looking directly at Hyungwon.

“That’s the thing— nothing.” Jihyo’s voice rises a bit. “Chae Industries employs thousands of human residents, runs a non profit, works on city planning and upkeep... Fuck, sorry.” She waves, telling Hyungon to take the floor.

He just lifts an eyebrow at her. “No, keep going. I love hearing people tell me how astounding my company is.”

“Chae Industries has so many subsidiaries, too, that employs thousands more.” Kihyun talks, makes his way back across the room to sit next to Changkyun. "What would be the point of going after the company?"

“I don’t think it’s the company they’re mad at. I think they’re just mad Hyungwon-hyung’s a vampire.” Changkyun thinks of what the hunter said to him, that the Chae’s aren’t untouchable. He said nothing about the company.

“Besides, we trust you.” Jihyo says, and there’s a sweeping consensus around the room.

“You’ve been the head of the company for what, like, three hundred years now? My great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents worked hand in hand with you.” Wendy looks around the room. Wonho and Hyunwoo, who have been quiet until now, remain quiet, but Wonho’s mouth drops open.

“Give or take a few years, yeah, I have,” Hyungwon keeps staring off. Changkyun follows his gaze and notices it’s a little zoned out in Wonho’s direction.

“So what are we doing? Going after them?” Mark finally asks, shifting his stance. He’s getting antsy, it’s so late. Changkyun’s really feeling the exhaustion sink into his muscles. He wants to sleep.

"I think we should rest, then find where they're staying. Only travel in larger groups." Jackson says, and heads nod around the room.

“Changkyun kicked ass today, probably scared them, and now they know he’s tougher than he looks.” Jihyo winks and gives him a thumbs up, Changkyun can only forge enough energy to wink back.

It all wraps up here, a little untied at the end, but everyone’s frazzled, confused and frustrated. They’ll regroup later, they know they’ll have to find these hunters. Maybe Mark and Jaebeom’s pack can sniff them out. Though, if they’re good enough, the hunters will know how to mask their scents. Even if that one guy did smell as bad as he did.

Most of the group files out. Jooheon places a hand on Changkyun’s shoulder, pats him there. It’s a good luck, because he has to deal with Hyunwoo and Wonho. Neither of them appear to be mentally in the room.

“I should have some clean clothes that will fit.” Kihyun says to them, “How about you two shower, and we can see how you're feeling.”

“What… does Kihyun do?” Wonho leans over the railing to look down into the living room. Changkyun offered shower and tea, the regular tea, not the witchy laced stuff, in that order, and they'd both silently agreed.

“He, uh, he’s on the board for Chae Industries.” Changkyun shrugs, tries to play it off. “Which he’s been doing, for like, one hundred years.”

“He… how long?” Hyunwoo reaches over to give Toast a scratch on the head, and she looks up at him with her dopey eyes and Hyunwoo seems to forget his question, kneeling down to give her a good scratch behind her huge ears.

“Maybe we should, like, settle in? And I’ll let Kihyun tell you about his life.”

“I’m curious.” Wonho says, pushing open the ajar door to the master suite. To Kihyun’s room. He gapes at the vaulted ceiling, the huge bed, the books covering an entire wall and the chaise that sits along the window, covered in pillows and a throw blanket. While the living room is a busy cozy, the bedroom is a clean cozy, much less cluttered, less eclectic colors, lots of blues and greys. Changkyun misses that bed when he's not in it.

“Yeah, let’s just...” Changkyun starts down the hall, his two friends following behind him. "Shower." He grabs them towels, changes of clothes that should fit; shorts and oversized sweaters for maximum comfort. He shows them to the bedroom on the opposite side of the house. It's bigger than the other guest room, has its own bathroom. He tells them they can use the master bathroom, too, if they want to shower at the same time. Hyunwoo turns away, and Wonho just waves his hands and gives a small smile. Okay. They'll take turns in the one. That's fine. Changkyun could take the extra time to breathe.

He breaks away after he's sure his friends are okay, and makes his way back downstairs. Changkyun still remembers the morning after his and Kihyun's first night together. He remembers how terrified he was, how conflicted he was when they woke up next to each other. Kihyun waited for him to wake that first morning, and Changkyun still remembers what it was like opening his eyes and seeing Kihyun already awake, curled up on his side, plush comforter pulled up to his chin. He remembers when Kihyun looked up at him, eyes bright and red and it startled him for a second. They had gone for breakfast, and things were so easy. Kihyun took the interrogation well, they walked along Han river afterwards, Changkyun still excited at this new world. He went home in the evening, Kihyun dropped him off at home, leaned over the center console to give him a kiss and ask him out on an official date.

Changkyun did wait a while to tell his friends about the relationship. He waited even longer to tell his family. Back then it wasn’t so much because Kihyun’s a vampire, but because Changkyun wanted to make sure things were serious. But the longer he waited, the more he hid his relationship, the more he realized how terrifying the world is, and the more hesitant he became. The first time he introduced Kihyun to Wonho and Hyunwoo they were already five months in, and Kihyun came over after dinner. It was impromptu, because Changkyun didn’t want Wonho insisting on cooking anything. Wonho and Hyunwoo were super excited and super accepting of his boyfriend. Changkyun wishes things could be that carefree now. He wishes they could sit around the living room and chat, laugh until the late hours.

"Hey." Kihyun wraps his arms around Changkyun’s waist as he enters the kitchen, careful not to touch him anywhere it hurts.

"Hey," Changkyun’s whole body sags. He just wants to sleep. It's already two in the morning, Changkyun can't remember the last time he stayed up this late. Wonho and Hyunwoo are usually in bed fairly early, too. They must be exhausted.

Changkyun lays his head on the kitchen island and closes his eyes. Kihyun doesn't bother him, cooks something at the stove in case Changkyun’s friends are hungry. Changkyun doesn't know if he's hungry. His body's all messed up. He might've dozed, he's not sure. He lifts his head when Kihyun kisses the back of his head, cradles the side of his face. Toast and Coffee come slipping down the stairs, Wonho and Hyunwoo behind them. They’re warm from hot showers, padding barefoot. Changkyun wishes his weekend hadn’t gone like this. Changkyun wishes things had happened differently. Kihyun pours them water, setting the glasses on the kitchen counter.

“Here, if you’d like.” He offers softly, pleased when they accept. Kihyun looks to Changkyun, his eyes widening happily. This is what he wanted, to bring them over, to cook them dinner. Kihyun wanted to bring Wonho and Hyunwoo into his life, he wanted to be their friend, too. He’d pushed it more than Changkyun. He wants to be involved, and Changkyun feels bad for rejecting it for so long. He moves around the island, slips into Kihyun’s arms, and presses a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you.” He whispers, dropping his head on Kihyun’s shoulder. He relaxes as Kihyun brings a hand to his hip, rubbing softly.

“So.” Wonho places his glass on the counter, and Kihyun lets go of Changkyun to reach for it and refill it.

“So? What would you like to ask?” Kihyun prods gently, sliding the glass back across the countertop. He pulls Changkyun back right into his arms.

Wonho’s eyes fly everywhere— the cabinets, the way Changkyun curls into Kihyun, the way Hyunwoo watches him, carefully. “How… old are you?”

“Including my human years?” What a familiar conversation, makes Changkyun think back to when they met. “Two-hundred forty-six.”

Hyunwoo places his glass down a little too hard, flinching at the harsh sound, and Wonho casts his gaze downwards, “Okay. I don’t think I have any more questions.”

That’s fair, if that’s all he can handle. Changkyun knows it’s a lot. Two years into their relationship and there are still things he needs to adjust to.

“Changkyun.” Hyunwoo speaks, serious. He usually says Changkyunnie, and the pointed exclusion of the sweet term goes cold in Changkyun’s stomach. He twists to look at Hyunwoo, saddened by the wall behind Hyunwoo’s eyes.

“Yes, hyung?”

“You’ve known about this the whole time?”

“Since day one.” _I’m so sorry_ is what he wants to say instead.

Hyunwoo leans back a little, pulling his shoulders back. He’s already so tall, so broad, but he’s never intimidating. He never tries to take up more space. But he bristles, on defense, hurt and betrayed and keeping his thoughts well away from Changkyun. Wonho glances at him, and though Wonho is usually so quick to smooth out the mood, he doesn’t. He watches as Hyunwoo shuts them out. Changkyun can’t blame him.

There’d been no easy way to do this, Changkyun tells himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. His friends will be scared, but mostly they’ll be angry.

Joy texts Changkyun non-stop about possibly bringing leaves or stone or whatever to hide under Hyunwoo and Wonho’s beds to relax them. But Changkyun says no. He sits quietly, Kihyun offers soup, something light to warm Hyunwoo and Wonho’s bellies, and they accept. Minutes drag into what feels like hours, still, only minutes passing. Adrenaline has officially drained out of Wonho, and he’s shaky, looks a little pale.

“There’s nothing else you want to ask?” Changkyun prods slowly, and he regrets opening his mouth because the second he speaks, Hyunwoo’s defenses fall, and he’s not upset, or concerned, like he was on the train. He’s pissed, and it’s hot in his gaze. Changkyun has never seen this look before.

“Yeah. What the fuck.” Hyunwoo turns to Changkyun, confusion all over his face. “What is happening? You’re dating a— a what?”

Kihyun blinks, surprised by Hyunwoo’s small outburst. Right, they haven’t gotten that far yet. “A vampire.”

It’s almost like Toast and Coffee can read the room. They scramble away. An ugly mood tears into the atmosphere. Kihyun pulls off his necklace, lets the glamor fall.

Vampires have three sets of canines, two at the top, one at the bottom. Kihyun explained, way in the beginning of their relationship, the first time he ever showed them to Changkyun, that it was to hold their prey in place when they struggled. Kihyun hid the second set for a while, until Changkyun convinced him it was okay. Even after Kihyun said he hid them because of how freakish he thought they looked. Sure, they’re scary, but Changkyun accepted it. Kihyun doesn’t hide them anymore, doesn’t hide his smile behind his hand anymore. But Changkyun can imagine why his friends would go white, why they’d jump at the sight of Kihyun. Changkyun stalls out. What a way to introduce his friends into this, by throwing them into the burning building.

“I was going to tell you this weekend— well, we were going to tell you. I promise that I’m safe, well,” Isn’t that kind of a lie after tonight? No. Actually, he thinks it’s still valid. Vampires and werewolves want to help him. He’s protected. “There’s just… a lot. There’s a lot to explain.”

“We have a really solid foundation set up, a whole community well-integrated with your own.” Kihyun leans over the counter and Wonho leans back, eyes wide and trying to take in all the details of Kihyun’s face as if it’d go away. “So, as Jihyo-sshi explained, it’s not normal for hunters to go after humans. And, unless I did something that broke our own code of ethics and treaties, they wouldn’t come after me.”

“So that rogue hunter shit means…?” Wonho might actually be into all this. Changkyun really thinks Wonho is excited to be here.

“That they’re doing their own thing, against the rules.”

Changkyun cranes his neck back so he can look up at Kihyun, see the face he’s grown so used to; the double set of long canines, the red eyes, but looks back at Hyunwoo and Wonho, both of whom seem a little lost.

“You don’t have to fear us, we don’t want to hurt you.” Kihyun’s voice drops lowly, his hand coming to cup Changkyun’s face, fingers trace along his jawline. Hyunwoo watches the motion with muted horror. Changkyun has learned that the tales of vampires, the evil creatures of the night, are nothing but old lore filled with people's misunderstanding of them. Which, consider the human race lucky, because they’d have no chance against these creatures.

“So what does pet mean? Why’d the dude… hunter… call you a pet?” Wonho is relaxing a little, both hands back on the countertop.

“It’s a term for a very old, disgusting practice of my…” Kihyun pauses, for a lack of words, “People...”

“A human you’d keep against their will, basically?” Hyunwoo speaks and it only makes the tension worse, the room seem darker.

“Yes.” Kihyun responds.

“You’ve never had one?”

Wonho tenses and his hand reaches out to nudge Hyunwoo, but Hyunwoo is staring at Kihyun, locking him in. Kihyun doesn’t try to run, he shares his story, honest and open. Changkyun hates the story. Kihyun reliving it must be so much worse.

“I was turned by a witch. She wanted me to leave my wife and daughters for her, but I didn’t, so she took my life.”

Changkyun knows that, back then, Kihyun had considered slipping away for a night or two, but never acted on it.

“There are two ways this can happen.” This, meaning, himself. He puts a hand on his chest to emphasize the point. “By witches, or by being bitten. The witch killed me, turned me into this. And I woke up on a slab, the sisters pouring blood down my throat.” Wonho looks appropriately horrified. “I didn’t know what a vampire was, I didn’t know what was happening, and they gave me a human to feed on. All I knew was I was confused and hungry, and there’s an instinct that just, turns on in your brain.”

Hyunwoo breaks eye contact first, lowering his gaze, sorry he asked. Wonho shakes his head slowly, mouth open and eyes watery. “They had to kill you?”

Kihyun nods. The witch did it by taking a knife to his heart. Kihyun knew what was happening when it happened, he still remembers what it was like to bleed out and take his last breath. He said he remembers what the floor felt like under his hands, what it felt like when his vision blacked out, what the sun looked like before it faded to red. She did it in his home, when his daughters were at school and his wife outside. He never saw them again.

"Oh." Wonho squeaks.

On that horrifying note, they wrap up for the night. Hyunwoo and Wonho want to go to bed.

They sleep in the same room though there are enough rooms for them to sleep separately. Changkyun trails behind Wonho and Hyunwoo upstairs. Coffee waits for him in the doorway while he says goodnight to his friends, tells them he’s right down the hall. “Come by if you need _anything_.” Changkyun says for the nth time, nearly tripping over Coffee as he exits the room.

“Does Kihyun even sleep?” Wonho pulls the sheets back on the bed.

“Yeah, a few hours.” Changkyun steps back into the room. Steps back out. Trips over Coffee and lands on his ass. He rushes to his feet, sees Kihyun poke his head out of their bedroom, and flushes as Wonho hides a smile behind his hand. Good. He can still smile.

“‘Night.” Hyunwoo says, getting into bed beside Wonho. Changkyun dips, leaves the door ajar. By the time he reaches his room, he hears the click of the door shutting all the way behind him. He tries to shove down his own anxieties, tell himself that after a good night’s sleep, his friends will come around. _His friends will come around_.

Hunched over the sink with a toothbrush in his mouth, Kihyun meets Changkyun’s gaze in the mirror. They brush their teeth in silence, awkward silence. Before Changkyun can climb into bed, Kihyun comes up to him from behind, arms locking securely around his waist. Changkyun immediately reaches down to get both his hands in Kihyun’s, and he swallows down a small noise as Kihyun holds on even tighter, burying his face in the crook of Changkyun’s neck.

“I’m so sorry.”

“You know it’s not your fault.” Changkyun squirms in the tight hold, turning around to get both his arms around Kihyun’s neck, drop a few dozen kisses on his face. His gut twists at the forlorn look on Kihyun’s face.

“Your friends are terrified.” Changkyun pulls his hands back cupping Kihyun’s face. He looks at Kihyun’s mouth, at the set of sharp teeth. And he traces them with his thumbs, careful not to prick his finger. He traces the flat, familiar shape of Kihyun’s front teeth, then moves back to his fangs. They’re so normal to Changkyun now. Kihyun looks odd when he retracts them. But he understands the fear, the disbelief— that he understands the most.

Changkyun leans in, thumbs settled on the sides of Kihyun’s mouth, and leans in to kiss him. For a long time, there had been wonder on Changkyun’s part, amazement as he watched Kihyun do the unexplainable. But it’d been almost childish, Changkyun wide-eyed and innocent, watching the world unfold secrets as if it were a movie, as if he were on the other side of a screen and would be untouched. Kihyun actually being able to lift a car, Kihyun’s red eyes through the dark, Kihyun never eating, Kihyun’s precise, sharp movements, Kihyun’s gaze, pansophical, full of hundreds of years of knowledge, should’ve been something Changkyun feared. But he jumped into the cold water without knowing how to swim. He’d been blinded by the incredible, that when the other side of this world reared its’ ugly head, he drowned in that cold water. He was in way too deep when he realized this shit wasn't just fun.

It was a shifter, in the subway, falling down the tracks as their teeth rotted, fell, as their skin slid off their back, layer by bleeding layer.

Changkyun pulls Kihyun into bed, pulls him back in for a hug. He holds Kihyun as tightly as he can, smiling as Kihyun lifts him and drops him into bed, crawls over him all smiley and chuckly, leaning back in to kiss him, to encompass him.

“I love you.” Kihyun says, a hand slipping along Changkyun’s side, underneath his shirt. “Love you so, so much.” Changkyun feels it sparkle under his skin, feels it fuzzy in his mouth, warm against his lips as Kihyun kisses him rapturous, until Changkyun needs to pull away for a breath. Kihyun rests over him, petting a hand through his hair. “You know this will all be okay, right?”

“Will it?” Changkyun finds himself saying.

“Mhm, it will.” Kihyun wraps both arms around his waist, rubbing his face into Changkyun’s neck.

“We just need to show them you’re not scary.”

Kihyun frowns. Big frown. A full-on pout.

Changkyun laughs and pinches both sides of his face, squishing his cheeks. Kihyun pulls his face back and snaps his teeth, fangs bared. "I am the _night_."

"Of course you are, babe."

Kihyun brings the pout back. “There are thousands of humans out there that are terrified of me.”

Sure there are, but Kihyun isn’t evil. He’s really a good boyfriend, a good person, who wouldn’t hurt anyone on purpose. He doesn’t misuse his strength, uses it to help and protect others. He could be all those things in lores and legends, but he’s not. He has such a massive heart and Changkyun has seen him for everything that makes him so beautiful.

“Hyunwoo-sshi is pretty upset, he’s overwhelmed, but Wonho-sshi is leveling him out.”

Changkyun pinches Kihyun’s side, smiling as Kihyun wiggles a little in his hold. “Stop listening in.”

“Kind of hard.”

“Focus on something else. Here,” Changkyun pushes Kihyun’s head down, laughing as Kihyun settles against his chest, ear where his heart is. They readjust, but Kihyun won’t take his arms away from Changkyun’s waist.

“Now you’re just teasing me.”

“Does it work?”

“You’re tired. You should sleep.” Kihyun closes his eyes, relaxes against Changkyun’s chest like he might sleep, too.

Changkyun stares up at the ceiling. The headrest of Kihyun’s bed has a light along the top that emits a soft blue light. It’s a gentle light, doesn’t interrupt Changkyun’s sleep, because the light gives him comfort when he wakes in the middle of the night and Kihyun isn’t there. Their schedules are so off from each other, and Kihyun doesn’t sleep much. He only needs a handful of hours to be awake and alert, and Changkyun hates waking up in the middle of the night in the dark, confused and alone in Kihyun’s bed. He’s mostly learning how to sleep through the night, even when Kihyun leaves. Changkyun runs a hand through Kihyun’s hair, removed from the motion, mind elsewhere. If anything, even if his friends blame him, stay mad at him, is it too selfish for him to say he doesn’t regret anything? Despite the faint risk of the day, Changkyun wouldn’t take anything back. He pulls gently at Kihyun’s chin, smiles when he sees two red eyes blinking up at him.

“You’re not sleeping.” Kihyun presses a kiss to Changkyun’s chest. “Are you not tired?”

Changkyun doesn’t regret Kihyun. He doesn’t regret any of it. He pulls Kihyun up, who moves freely in the wake of his confusion. He hums quietly, he studies the look on Changkyun’s face, and makes a muffled little noise when Changkyun leans up and kisses him with a passionate determination. Changkyun wants to tell Kihyun; he loves him. He pulls Kihyun on top of him, wraps both arms around his neck and pulls Kihyun’s hips against his with a leg thrown over his waist. Kihyun groans lowly, still a little strangled with confusion, but flows as Changkyun ebbs against him, pulling him in and guiding him lower, pulling his tongue into his mouth. Kihyun holds on a little tighter, kisses back with growing fever and hunger rises in Changkyun’s stomach, demanding more with his hands, with tugs on Kihyun’s shirt, his hair, he wants more.

“What got into you, darling?” Kihyun breaks away, lips parted and slick with Changkyun’s spit, his eyes a little starry.

“I just.” Changkyun wraps both his legs around Kihyun’s waist, breathes heavily as Kihyun dips forward, moaning softly against his open mouth. “I love you.”

 _I love you I love you I love you_ , Changkyun wants to chant it like a mantra, embed it into Kihyun’s skin. He tugs at Kihyun’s clothes, gets them both under the covers, and he wants so much, he digs his nails into Kihyun’s skin, tries to touch every angle, every inch of skin, and breathes against Kihyun’s neck, moans against his lips. He wants everything. He wants everything Kihyun can give him. He pulls of their clothes, Kihyun's hands trailing lower over his stomach.

“So needy, my love.” Kihyun whispers against his ear as he pushes Changkyun open with two wet fingers. “No need to beg, just tell me what you want.”

“You, just you.” Changkyun arches as Kihyun works him open, as Kihyun covers him in kisses and love. And as Kihyun pushes in, as he fills Changkyun, rubbing his hips comfortingly, fills him so good, so full, and kisses along his neck, fucking him slow, so slow, reveling in each stroke, in the way they fit together, Kihyun gives him what he wants, soft and gentle, drowning in him. It’s everything Changkyun needs, everything he wants, _Kihyun, Kihyun, Kihyun_ , breathing his name with each thrust, urging him a little faster.

“You mean the world to me, my love.” Kihyun mumbles against him.

Changkyun comes between them, pants into Kihyun’s mouth and pulls on his hair, hands slipping across his shoulders. And Kihyun comes in him, thrusts shortening as he does, lips sliding along Changkyun’s jawline, hands slipping around his waist, lips on lips.

* * *

By morning, Kihyun is gone.

Changkyun rolls over and sighs up at the ceiling, pulls the blankets over his head. He can try as hard as he wants to hide from the sunlight, from the new day, but nothing works. He can’t stop thinking about what happened; he’s barely conscious and moments of yesterday play behind his closed eyelids. His shoulders throb, and when he breathes, his chest pulls. This is the shit they don’t tell you about in movies about badasses; the way everything hurts for days, even weeks, leaving the badass feeling significantly less badass. Changkyun had only just been getting over the soreness in his shoulder from when Jooheon flipped him, and then taught him how to do it. He kept aggravating the sore by exerting himself to try the same move, and then had to go and get into a fight. He needs literal magic to help him. Lying in bed won’t save him from the shit behind the bedroom door. If anything, it’ll make it worse. So Changkyun rolls out of bed, foggy and hurt and he had to have sex last night on top of it, huh? What a dumbass. Literally everything hurts; from the back of his neck down to his soles. He moves down the stairs one at a time, and stands in the kitchen barefoot. Kihyun smiles at him, and Changkyun pads over to the medicine cabinet. It’s stocked for him. He boils some water and dumps whatever powder the witches gave him, (he doesn’t even remember anything about it he just knows it’s supposed to help,) into a mug and mixes it into the hot water, and watches the steam swirl out of the top. He wonders if downing it right now and potentially destroying his esophagus with the boiling water, in hopes that the pain will go away faster, is worth it.

Changkyun finds himself slumped over the counter, groaning in pain. “Do I burn the inside of my mouth and possibly my stomach, or…?”

Kihyun saves the day by adding a little bit of cool water. Changkyun’s brain is not on enough yet for him to have thought of that on his own.

“Thanks.”

“Are you okay…?”

“No. I’m in so much pain.”

Kihyun pinches his butt as he meanders by. “You were feeling fine last night.”

Changkyun just whines into the marble. “I was so overwhelmed with emotion, don’t kick me while I’m already down.”

“How are your cuts?” Kihyun asks, coming back around the island counter to tug up on Changkyun’s shirt. He touches the tender skin and Changkyun hisses, twisting away from Kihyun’s prodding finger. “

What are you making?” Changkyun eyes the fruit on the table, then the blender. “Oh, protein shakes?”

“No, they’re just regular shakes.” Kihyun slides his hand down Changkyun’s back, kisses his shoulder where it’s not as sore. He leans a little bit into Changkyun’s shoulder. “Your friends have been awake for almost an hour, but they haven’t left the room yet.” They probably don’t realize that Kihyun can hear them. Changkyun reaches for Kihyun’s cell phone on the counter, slides it unlocked and opens the music app. Kihyun’s phone connects to the speakers built in throughout the house. Changkyun needs a song to not play too loud, but just enough that, hopefully, it seems like a friendly beacon. Wonho likes to bump music from his phone as he bops around the apartment. Maybe the familiarity of it will bring them out. Changkyun picks a song he knows he’s heard both his friends bopping to.

“Boss Bitch? Really.” Kihyun rolls his eyes as Doja Cat raps through the speakers.

“You know who Doja Cat is?” Changkyun giggles as Kihyun reaches around him to snag the phone.

“Yes. You think I what, listen to Gregorian Chant?”

“Don’t those old hymns just bring you back to your childhood?” Changkyun bites his tongue, loving to tease Kihyun about his age. Kihyun pinches his arm playfully.

Kihyun plays a softer song, something hopeful and slow. Something about falling in love, and Changkyun gets warm as Kihyun takes his hand, pulls him away from the counter. He has a cute little bop in his step, a sweet look in his eyes, and Changkyun wraps his arms around Kihyun’s waist, leans in close, very close, and drops a kiss to his cheek. Kihyun embraces him, smiling, so warm, so warm, and hums as Changkyun cranes in to steal a kiss. They fall to the soft rhythm of the music, swaying. Neither of them are leading, just the two of them move together, Kihyun’s hands crossed behind Changkyun’s head, Changkyun’s hold loose around his waist. He closes his eyes, leans in, and he sings as Kihyun touches their foreheads together, as Changkyun sings about never giving him up, fingers playing with his hair.

They stay for another song, feet shuffling lazily over the wood flooring warmed by the sun through the tall windows, breathing, as Changkyun sings in a tired voice, a little shaky and raw, and Kihyun hums along. Until he pulls away, pulling on a serious face and looking over Changkyun’s shoulder.

Hyunwoo and Wonho stand in the kitchen, and Wonho looks so _fond_ at the scene.

Yeah, so he’d been slow dancing with his boyfriend at, like, eleven in the morning, Wonho doesn’t have to get all sappy over it.

“Would you like breakfast?” Kihyun’s arms fall from Changkyun, he pulls away gently, and crosses the room to show them the fruit laid out. “I wasn’t sure what you would like, but I can make eggs, and we have rice— “

“Eggs sound good, yeah.” Wonho nods and takes a seat at the counter, still looking very softly at Kihyun’s direction, as if finally realizing that he doesn’t have to fear him, Kihyun wouldn’t hurt him. Hyunwoo hasn’t made eye contact with Changkyun yet and he tries not to push it, tries not to feel guilty. But it feels pretty shitty.

“Of course, how do you take them?”

“Sunny side up.” Changkyun says, sitting a chair over from Hyunwoo, trying to be light and normal. “Kihyun’s a really good cook, even though he doesn’t eat.”

Kihyun doesn’t wear a human mask in his own house, and Changkyun really hopes that seeing him during the day makes him seem even less of a monster. Hyunwoo watches, unashamed, as Kihyun moves around. Kihyun’s posture, his elegance, everything is careful, too fluid to be practiced. Too fluid to be natural.

Thankfully, Wonho breaks the silence. “You… have a very nice house.”

“Thank you.” Kihyun gives him a smile, and Hyunwoo and Wonho both look at his mouth. “I’ve lived here about five years.”

“It’s, uh, new, right?”

Changkyun slides away to open the porch door and let Toast and Coffee come scrambling in. Hyunwoo turns, playing with Toast as she comes to nibble on his toes. “Yes, it’s one of Jooheon’s designs.” Kihyun sprinkles seasoning onto the eggs, covers them with a lid and turns to Wonho and Hyunwoo.

“Oh. Jooheon…” Wonho glances to Hyunwoo. “Jooheon-hyung…?”

Kihyun leans against the counter, crosses his arms over his chest, but he still stays wide open and pleasant. “Jooheon doesn’t care much for formalities. But I guess you could address him as hyung? He was twenty-one when he turned, so, in a way, you’re older than him.” Changkyun panics for a moment, but then relaxes. Kihyun knows what he’s doing. He’s creating an atmosphere of openness and communication, leaving room for Wonho to absorb and question, while Hyunwoo observes.

“How old were you?” Wonho does best when he’s not pressured, and Kihyun doesn’t pressure. He gives the room to Wonho, and turns back to the eggs, turning off the burner and reaching into the cabinet for plates.

“I was twenty-eight.”

“In…?”

“1802.” That triggers a reaction from Hyunwoo, too. His eyes flutter in surprise, and for a second he looks at Kihyun instead of trying to read him.

“Wow.” Wonho shakes his head a bit, scratching awkwardly at his head. “Holy shit. You keep mentioning your age but… it’s not clicking in my brain.”

“He listens to Gregorian chant, so…”

Kihyun shoves Changkyun’s plate towards him, rolling his eyes. “Shut up. I do not."

“He thinks he’s cool because he knows Doja Cat.”

"'Cause I'm a bitch," Kihyun delivers it with a straight face. "And a boss."

Changkyun stares at him. "Please stop."

Kihyun stares back. "And Imma shine like gloss."

"You're embarrassing me in front of my friends."

“I listen to the radio.”

“Radio?” Changkyun scoffs, and Kihyun lands a few unassuming thwacks on his arms with a rice paddle. “The humans use Spotify nowadays, you’re dating yourself.”

“I _know_ , you know what I meant. You’re on my Spotify account.” Kihyun digs the rice paddle into Changkyun’s side where it tickles, and Changkyun flails and steps away. Kihyun sticks his tongue out at him, gives him another lame swat as he makes his way to the kitchen to peer down the hallway. Minhyuk pushes the front door open a second later and smiles wide.

“Hello!! Good morning!”

“Morning, hyung.” Changkyun can smell the coffee in Minhyuk’s hands. He perks up, is it from that cute cafe down the street? The one with the super bougie lavender rose latte that Kihyun picks up for him on Sunday mornings? He sees the leaf logo and throws his arms in the air, vaguely realizing that whatever the hell witchy concoction he drank a few minutes ago kicked in better than any ibuprofen would, and reaches for the coffees.

"I was…" Kihyun mournfully points at the coffee beans and grinder sitting on the counter.

Changkyun chuckles and pats his shoulder. "It's okay."

"That's a new French press." Because Changkyun dropped the other one on the tiles the other day, when Toast went crash landing into his ankles while he was carrying it. "I could've made coffee." Kihyun continues to argue, Wonho's hands floundering mid-air as he apologetically reaches for Minhyuk's coffee.

"Well now you don't have to." Minhyuk rolls his eyes and places Hyunwoo’s in front of him. Changkyun knows how much Kihyun loves to play host to humans. He bites back a laugh as Kihyun pouts, his chin turning into walnut chin. He's so upset it's amusing.

"It's okay babe, next time."

"This is a brand new French press I wanted to use it. But since _I_ can't use it, it has to be _you_. Traitor." Kihyun scoffs, pointing to the cup in Changkyun’s hands and looking Changkyun directly in the face.

"So, um," Wonho is so cute, he's wide eyed and watching Minhyuk’s every movement. It's very innocent and curious. Minhyuk smiles at Wonho. He doesn't have his glamor up. Hyunwoo blinks at the fangs and Wonho stares a little too openly.

"Yes?"

"Oh," Wonho shakes off his awe. "Uh, how old… are you…?"

"Two-forty-six." Minhyuk swings an arm over Kihyun's shoulder. "Kihyun and I were friends when we were humans."

"We weren't friends."

"We were friends."

"You were after my sister. I hated you."

Minhyuk stops, the two have a stare down. "Oh, that's right, she was your sister."

Kihyun frowns at him.

"Anyway! Remember that one time, we were still reaaaaal little." Minhyuk holds his hand to his knees, "No, maybe like," He brings his hand to his waist. "Here? I threw myself into the river and you jumped in to save me?"

"You didn't know how to swim, was I supposed to watch you drown?"

"I thought you saved me because you liked me."

Kihyun blinks slowly. "No."

Changkyun glances at his friends; Wonho is giggly watching the two, Hyunwoo has a more relaxed stance. Good. Okay. Progress.

"Anyway we've been friends for over two hundred years." Minhyuk presses their temples together and smushes Kihyun closer. Kihyun does not reciprocate the hug. "So you might as well pretend to like me."

"My unbeating heart feels nothing for you."

Minhyuk laughs and swings both arms around Kihyun and hugs him. "He hates me so much he turned me."

"Ugh that's right, I did that."

"This bitch." Minhyuk clings as Kihyun tries to escape his grasp. Changkyun really loves watching Kihyun suffer at Minhyuk’s expense. Does that make him a bad boyfriend? " _This_ motherfucker." Minhyuk jabs his finger into Kihyun's cheek, and he sputters. "Disappears, right?"

"Because I was murdered, asshole—"

"His wife, his daughters, the entire goddamn village— _devastated_. They went on searches, took the dogs out, no one could find him. And then he shows up on my doorstep looking like this a whole goddamn four years later."

When a cat's paw is pressed on the pad, its nails come out. When a vampire's jaw is pressed in the right spot, their fangs come out. Minhyuk squishes Kihyun's cheeks and out come Kihyun’s fangs, all six of them, and Kihyun grunts, curses Minhyuk to high hell, trying to squirm out of his grasp but Minhyuk has him pinned with a leg, too. And Hyunwoo and Wonho are both laughing.

"And he bites me. Like right there in the doorway to my house. It was 1810." Minhyuk finishes through gritted teeth, Kihyun's finally winning their stupid wrestling match.

"You were sick, I was saving your life." Kihyun grabs onto the island counter, one hand on Minhyuk's face to try and pry him off, and then he pulls, and the granite cracks, a huge block of it chips right off the counter.

Minhyuk releases Kihyun and Wonho and Hyunwoo jump, and then everyone's laughing. Changkyun panics a little, hoping that the display of his strength doesn’t put his friends off.

"You're fixing this." Kihyun glowers at Minhyuk.

“That’s not my department—"

Kihyun swings and shatters the last bit of granite on Minhyuk’s shoulder.

They take the other half of the morning to the living room, because Kihyun can’t look at the broken counter without wanting to choke Minhyuk out, Kihyun shifting from foot to foot as he glances at the television remote. He knows that they can’t just, chill, but Kihyun will do anything to provide some sort of comfort and relief for the humans, and that makes Changkyun just fall in love with him all over again, really.

Kihyun seems to decide against the television, and reaches for his phone instead. He plays music through the speakers in the house, something soft, sunny and not too loud. He wants the mood to be good. It is not good. It’s hard to imagine it could get any worse.

Wonho has a thousand questions, and he keeps sprinkling them in — so, do you eat human food? Do you need to drink water? How come you can step out into the sun? — things that show he’s curious, he’s open to this. But he doesn’t leave Hyunwoo’s side. Because Hyunwoo, is not open to this.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Yoo-sshi, but I’m going home.” Hyunwoo stands, and Kihyun’s expression falls. He went from a friendly ‘Kihyun-ah’ to ‘Yoo-sshi’ in less than twelve hours.

“Ah,” Changkyun steps towards Hyunwoo, retracting his hand when Hyunwoo levels him with an icy stare. “We can’t…”

Minhyuk glances around. He and Changkyun make eye contact, but Changkyun’s still frozen from the look. Being on the receiving end of it hurts.

“We’re asking you to stay here, Hyunwoo-sshi.”

Hyunwoo narrows his glare. Kihyun steps forward. He’s the strongest creature in the room, he can hold Hyunwoo back with one hand. But his gaze falters a little, remorseful, because he’s truly kind and he cares, and he’s hurt that Hyunwoo doesn’t want to be anywhere near him. Kihyun wanted to open his home and his heart to Hyunwoo and Wonho and Hyunwoo rejected it. Changkyun knows that Kihyun would never do anything to hurt anyone, especially Changkyun and his friends, but they don’t know that. “We don’t know where the rogue hunters are, and we’re scared, that if they went after Changkyun, a human…”

“They’ll go after me, too.” Hyunwoo grinds his teeth. Hyunwoo finally breaks eye contact, but it’s not out of submission, or understanding, because he looks right back up at Kihyun in a second. ”I’m going out back.”

The sliding door slams behind him, and Changkyun glances at Kihyun. Then at Wonho, who stares worriedly off where Hyunwoo went off to.

“You know… this is a lot.” Wonho speaks first, rubbing his hands together. He doesn’t look at anyone.

Changkyun goes out back. He closes the door behind him, though that won’t do anything for Kihyun and Minhyuk.

“Hyung—"

“Don't start.”

Changkyun sucks in a quick breath and blinks at the back of Hyunwoo’s head. Hyunwoo is fuming, sitting on the porch steps, his bare feet in the grass.

“You knew this whole time, and never said anything.”

Changkyun wants to start with telling Hyunwoo that he and Kihyun fought a lot about this; that it’s his fault, that none of the blame falls on Kihyun. But he doesn’t. He wants to tell Hyunwoo he thought he was protecting him. But he doesn’t.

“Yeah.” Is all that comes out.

“What if this shit came into our house?” Hyunwoo stares up at the sky, Changkyun just looks at the back of his head.

“There’s, um, there’s salt over the front door. To keep most shit out. And that little, the little tea bag-lookin’ thing that’s hanging off the peephole is to ward off demons.” Hyunwoo doesn’t turn around. Changkyun watches the rise and fall of his shoulders. “I put talismans in your car. Under the front seat…” Changkyun’s next breath burns, it burns up his neck and into his jaw, into his cheeks and behind his eyes. When he first did these things, when Joy or Wendy or Seulgi dropped spells into his hands, hiding everything seemed like the right route to take. The witches didn’t seem concerned with Changkyun’s behavior, either. Kihyun knows, too, he knows that Changkyun tucked talismans away into his friends’ shit, though he always pressed his lips into a disapproving line. Changkyun did it to protect them: Good. Changkyun did it without telling them: Bad.

“So, you ran off to life your fantasy life with your millionaire boyfriend because you have no worries with witches and hunters and… whatever the fuck else — werewolves? — to protect you and care for you,” Hyunwoo turns around, his face distorted into a look that Changkyun has never seen before; rage, “And left us endangered because of association, left us blindsided, without a single fucking care, for what?”

“Hyung, I do care,”

“If you cared you would’ve told us. I don’t… I don’t fucking care if Kihyun has money, I don’t care if he’s a vampire, I care that you knew all this shit was happening, that you’re —” He gestures to Changkyun’s chest, where he’ll have a scar, “You’re prepared, you know to _fight,_ now? And if anything happened to you, how would we have known?”

If anything had happened to him, the witches would’ve brought him back as a vampire.

“Two years.” Hyunwoo towers over him, angry, rightfully so. “ _Two_ years, Changkyun. Not a few months, but years. And you show up to the apartment less and less and last month we didn't even see you but you left a damn check with Kihyun’s signature on it to cover our rent and —”

“I’m sorry, hyung, I’m so sorry. Kihyun and I fought so much and he really wanted to tell you, he said it was his secret to share but I was so scared —”

“I’m terrified.” Hyunwoo swallows thickly, his eyes wavering, “What if something happened while we were together, like last night. How would we have known to call Kihyun, and not the cops?”

There’s no winning here, since Hyunwoo is right. He’s totally right. Changkyun has no energy to argue. He’s wrong. He’s in the wrong.

“I’m happy your millionaire vampire boyfriend or… or whatever the fuck, makes you happy and keeps you safe, while Wonho and I get put in the dark.”

Changkyun never meant to push them away he just… strayed. That’s not Hyunwoo or Wonho’s fault, that's his. And now they’re trapped here, because it’s unsafe out there, their lives turned upside down on a dime, and Changkyun could’ve warned them.

Hyunwoo breezes past him, and Changkyun lets the sobs push out of him. He tries to keep it down, and after a few, he feels Kihyun’s hand slip up between his shoulders and settle there.

 _I’m so sorry_ , Changkyun twists and buries his face into Kihyun’s neck. Kihyun holds him. _I’m so fucking sorry._

* * *

Hyunwoo leaves with Minhyuk. He accepts Minhyuk’s offer of a ride back to the apartment so he can collect some things. Wonho gives Hyunwoo a list of things he needs. Later, he’ll tell Changkyun it was so that Hyunwoo could have a breather away from them, by himself, and have a list to focus on. But for now, he doesn’t talk to Changkyun. Kihyun’s house has enough stuff for Wonho to get lost in, and two dogs that demand attention even when Wonho goes into the bathroom to pee.

Jooheon stops by to check in, and when Kihyun hushedly explains what happened that morning, Jooheon finds Changkyun wrapped in a blanket in a pity burrito on the couch. Changkyun doesn’t even know how to talk to Wonho right now.

“So,” Jooheon sits against the arm of the couch, and Changkyun barely lifts his head from the pillow. “Your friends hate you.”

“Yeah.”

“You know… Kihyun was very upset about your decision.”

Changkyun closes his eyes. He wants to drink. It’s barely after noon. “Yeah.”

“So why’d you do it?”

“Because I thought I could protect them myself.”

“So what are you gonna do about now?”

Changkyun sees Kihyun standing in the entryway, looking at him thoughtfully. “Beg for forgiveness, probably.”

Kihyun smiles a little. “You could start by getting out from underneath that blanket and doing something about it.”

Hyunwoo and Minhyuk are gone for the rest of the day. Changkyun knows that Hyunwoo is safe, so he focuses his energy on Wonho. Wonho is much more open, so much more open, but he doesn’t side with Changkyun here. There’s still a wall, he’s still hurt. But he doesn’t channel that energy towards Kihyun and Jooheon. He channels that frustration towards Changkyun. The way they interact is much more curt than the way he interacts with Kihyun and Jooheon. Changkyun tells himself it’s a good thing. But it must be so weird for them, after Changkyun started pulling away only to resubmerge into their lives out of nowhere, out of guilt, and now there’s all this fuckery happening. Changkyun is a totally different person from who he was when he and Kihyun started dating; he’s tougher, thicker skinned and knows how to fight, walks around with weapons and wards on his body like jewelry. He’s hid himself, not just the supernatural world, from his friends. It’s going to take some readjusting.

But the fact that Wonho is here, and the fact that Hyunwoo comes back to Kihyun’s house at night, two suitcases at his side, tells him that they’re willing to relearn. Hyunwoo and Wonho stand in the foyer, Wonho with a smile on his face, and Changkyun wants to cry all over again.

“We can do some grocery shopping.” Kihyun stands in the guest room, Changkyun stands in the doorway.

“You don’t have food…?” _For Changkyun_ , Wonho’s eyes ask as he glances towards Changkyun.

“Not enough to feed all of you, I think. Besides, you can tell me what you like, and I can make dinner,” Kihyun reaches for the towels in Hyunwoo’s hands, “Oh, you really didn’t have to pack these, I have plenty.”

“We should do a barbecue!” Minhyuk skips up behind Changkyun and stands shoulder to shoulder with him.

Kihyun’s nearly vibrating with the excitement of feeding multiple mouths.

“So you… know how to cook? But don’t eat?” Wonho asks slowly, tucking a few pairs of clothes into a drawer.

“I’ve known how to make more traditional meals for a while, being friends with the covens, packs and families for a while now, but I’ve been practicing more with Changkyunnie here.” Kihyun beams at him.

“His food’s _really_ good. He makes shit I’ve never even heard of before.” Changkyun tries not to speak too much, though he could talk for hours about how Kihyun went from making basic dishes to gourmet meals, small portions and lots of portions, meats that he simmers for hours, foods that melt in his mouth and have spices that are just right. Changkyun’s palate is so unbelievably fucking spoiled.

Wonho pats his stomach, eager at the prospect of good food. Hyunwoo normally would be, too, but for now he’s just watching.

* * *

Changkyun swings between patience and impatience. Patience, when he sees Wonho smiling at him, when he sees Hyunwoo ask Kihyun what he's making for dinner, as the smell of spices waft around the house. Patience, as Kihyun smiles so widely and pulls a spoon from the drawer and dips it into the broth, lifting it to Hyunwoo’s lips so he can steal a taste. Impatience, as Hyungwon goes over Sunday night as says they don't know who these outsiders are, and they're asking for them to remain inside, and Hyunwoo shutters down. It makes Changkyun mad that Hyunwoo is so troubled by this. But he gets it. But he doesn't. But the sooner Hyunwoo opens up to this the sooner Wonho can fully step into it, as he clearly wants to, and the sooner they can talk this through. And Changkyun can apologize more. And they can move forward. They're his best friends, Changkyun wants to _protect_ them.

But it's only been two days, and when Changkyun wakes up Monday morning not ready to go to work, he whines all the way down the stairs and whines as he clings to Kihyun, who patters around the kitchen with Changkyun around his waist and Toast and Coffee at his feet, following the smell of ham.

"Call out," is Kihyun's consistent advice to Changkyun's work woes.

"Stop telling me to call out or I will call out and then I'll call out every day and lose my job." Changkyun buries his face into Kihyun's neck.

"And what's so bad about that?" Kihyun laughs as Changkyun pinches his sides in retaliation. "I'll take care of you."

"Stop, Wonho-hyung's already convinced you're my sugar daddy."

"I am old enough to be your sugar daddy." Kihyun laughs.

Kihyun twists around in Changkyun's hold and wraps two arms around his neck. He smiles, and Changkyun can't help melting against him. He never gets tired of mornings with Kihyun. He never gets tired of Kihyun. Never wants to let this go. So he kisses the side of Kihyun's neck and holds on a little tighter.

"Love you," He says, like he's saying it again for the first time, a little rushed, exploding with realization.

"I love you." Kihyun pulls him in tighter, kisses the side of his head. "I love you so so much." And then, because he's a brat, "Call out of work."

Changkyun laughs and pulls away. "You know what?" And Kihyun's whole face lights up, waves of giddy just slapping Changkyun in the face. Now he can't disappoint Kihyun. "I'm calling out."

Kihyun sways forward and kisses his cheek. "Do it quickly before you change your mind."

It feels like cheating, calling to tell his boss he needs a day, though he does, though not in the way he makes it seem. After this hellish weekend, with a bruise still spotted across his shoulders, maybe he does need it. He really does need it. Though he feels guilty as Hyunwoo and Wonho get up and get ready, as they both eye his couple pajamas and mismatched socks as they shower and eat breakfast and change into suits for work. They're smiley though when Kihyun packs them lunch, and when Minhyuk shows up with iced coffees. Even Hyunwoo, who had been opposed to the idea of having to be "baby-sat," smiles a little at Minhyuk.

Minhyuk hands him his iced coffee, "Mocha, right? It's what you ordered at the coffee shop when we all had lunch together."

"Ah, yeah," Hyunwoo wraps both his hands around the cup. "Thank you. For, uh, remembering."

Minhyuk looks a little shy, his smile reserved as he tucks Hyunwoo's compliment away. He taps at his temple. "I don't forget much. I remember all the important details." And he leans in a little, and Hyunwoo smiles just a tad wider. Changkyun hadn't expected Minhyuk to be so sweet with Hyunwoo. Lee Minhyuk, the hurricane. Lee Minhyuk, chaos personified, gentle and adoring and flirty without overstepping boundaries. Changkyun can't believe Minhyuk is the one that Hyunwoo’s really finding comfort with.

As soon as the group files out and Changkyun escapes every one of Wonho’s accusatory glances at his pj's, Changkyun says, "Minhyuk-hyung kinda scares me, but he's being really good with Hyunwoo-hyung."

Kihyun just smiles at him. Changkyun sits at the kitchen counter and checks his phone, rolls his eyes at Wonho’s shifty eyed emoji texts. No, he didn't stay home to ravage his boyfriend. He stayed home to help clean up, help with laundry, to take Toast and Coffee on a long walk, holding Kihyun's hand the whole way. He stayed home to clear his head and call out the next day, (sorry, boss,) and when he and Kihyun end up on the couch around two in the afternoon, curtains pulled closed and Kihyun riding him, kissing hurriedly and Kihyun's hands tugging at Changkyun's hair, then, well, it's just how the day goes. 

* * *

Ever since the little stair set got propped against their bed, Toast has figured out she can climb up on it at seven-thirty in the morning and step the fuck all over Changkyun's face and slobber against his ears. He tries to hold her down and smother her in kisses and Toast just whines, wriggles her wrinkly body out from under his arm, and attacks. Calling out uncle doesn't do anything for the basset hound. She steps right on his throat and pounces on his stomach and when Changkyun playfully grabs at her ears, she paws at him, and nibbles on his fingers. And then runs, trips down the last step and falls with a thud but it doesn't deter her, and she scampers out of the room unharmed. Changkyun sits up and tries to spit out the fur she got in his mouth. Hyunwoo is in the doorway, leaning against the doorframe and looking all sorts of brotherly-fond. Changkyun grins at him.

"Morning, hyung."

"Are you not going to work today, either?"

"I am, I am," Oh, how Changkyun's missed his nagging. "If I called out a third day I think I'd worry everyone."

Hyunwoo just breathes in for a second. Changkyun sits with his legs thrown over the bed, in just a pair of sleep shorts. Then Hyunwoo’s expression shifts, and he's frowning, concerned. "How's your back?"

They haven't spoken about the other night not once. Changkyun immediately steps back to let Hyunwoo control the situation to how he seems most comfortable. Hyunwoo looks at the bruise, quiet, while Changkyun struggles so much to hear even the smallest shift of a breath from his hyung, ears buzzing as he hyper focuses.

"It healed so fast."

Changkyun nods his head a little. "Yeah, it's the witches' stuff. It's still sore but I'm okay."

"I'm really glad you are okay." Hyunwoo gives Changkyun the softest pat on his head. Feels almost normal again. "

I'm really glad you are, too." Changkyun follows Hyunwoo downstairs to the living room, where Wonho found the bin of dog toys and is getting his work clothes all dirty by rolling around on the floor with Toast.

When Changkyun enters the room Toast spins around, and Wonho cutely stomps his feet and excites her even more by yelling, "Dad's here! Your dad's awake!" And Changkyun has no idea where Toast goes, but she runs in the opposite direction and barks at absolutely nothing. "I'm in love with her." Wonho announces, holding the slobbery toy in his hands. Toast barks from outside, where Kihyun must be. "Coffee likes to nap, Toast likes to play. I'm coming to live here."

"You're more than welcome." Changkyun grins, knowing that Wonho's comfortable just makes him want to run in aimless circles like Toast does. Instead he skips into Wonho's arms and gives him a big hug, like they've always done. Wonho readily embraces him, and all is well. Hyunwoo, though, needs a little more space. Changkyun gives that to him, grabs him a mug from the cupboards in the kitchen and gets the coffee maker going. He peeks outside to see Kihyun sitting on the back porch with Hyungwon.

"Morning," Hyungwon smiles with a wave over his head. He's not in a suit, just jeans a tee, and still manages to be the most handsome guy around.

When Changkyun gets out of the shower and is dressed, Kihyun and Hyungwon have moved into the living room and Wonho's retelling an old, faded memory of a super drunk college boy Changkyun, who had gotten so drunk on a hot night that he cried, and then was found later by Wonho in the park fountain trying to cool off. Hyunwoo isn't engaging, but he's in the room, laughing at the memory over a cup of coffee. 

* * *

Changkyun hears a yell from outside, and with everything that’s going on, his mind rushes for the _worst_. He takes off down the hall and down the stairs, Hyunwoo and Wonho on his heels. His socks slip on the hardwood and he barely opens the back door wide enough to get through it, clipping his shoulder and hearing Hyunwoo nearly take the door down behind him.

It’s just Kihyun standing in the middle of the yard, pointing to his feet, in a very stern voice, saying, “Get over here.” Changkyun scans the yard, the grass, the chairs; nothing’s out of place.

“What is it? What’s going on?” Changkyun breathes heavy, hears Wonho mumble incoherently behind him.

Kihyun looks over his shoulder. “Toast rolled in shit.”

And Wonho bursts out laughing, Changkyun is so incredibly relieved he sits right where he is, right on the grass. “You scared the shit out of me.”

Hyunwoo steps past Changkyun and closer to Kihyun. “Where is she…?”

“Hiding in my flowers.” Kihyun frowns, snapping his fingers. “Toast, come here.”

“Ah, I’m so relieved it’s not serious.” Wonho nudges Changkyun, laughs as he stays seated in the grass.

Kihyun snaps his fingers again. “ _Toast_.”

Toast, with her belly dragging against the ground, emerges very slowly from the flower bed, rolls over. Her face is usually pretty droopy, but it’s times ten now, her tail thudding crazily, whipping flower petals into the air. Kihyun has to turn away to try and compose himself. She’s so fucking adorable and he’s trying to act like he’s mad, but he’s not. And Toast picks up on it, and Changkyun laughs as she perks up, long ears flopping over her face.

“Over here.” Kihyun’s voice shakes a little, holding back his chuckles, and Hyunwoo laughs as Toast pads over, nose brushing against the grass, curling up in a little ball at Kihyun’s feet. She rolls over and shows her belly, and Kihyun whines at how cute it is. “I’m supposed to be mad at you.” He says, and Toast just rolls fully onto her back. “You know you’re getting a bath, right?”

That word hasn’t been learned yet, so Toast stares back up at him.

“A bath.” Kihyun says slower, as Coffee comes and climbs into Changkyun’s lap. Toast wags her tail at Kihyun’s threat.

It all comes together in her little dog brain when Kihyun comes out with the basin, and Hyunwoo and Wonho are laughing again, nearly crying as Kihyun drops the basin and screams as Toast flees off the scene back into the bushes.

“You’re gonna ruin my flowers!” Kihyun’s voice hits a new octave as he circles the rosebush. “You’re gonna hurt yourself in there!” He drops to his knees. “Toast!”

“You’re not gonna help your boyfriend?” Wonho laughs as Kihyun pats the ground, trying to coax Toast out from the flowers. Changkyun knows he doesn’t want to scare the poor pup by just grabbing for her.

Changkyun would go help, but Hyunwoo gets on his knees next to Kihyun and whistles, in hopes it’ll get Toast’s attention, and Changkyun doesn’t want to interrupt what could be a little bonding session between the two.

“Uh oh,” Wonho watches Coffee perk up at the sound of Hyunwoo’s whistling. Hyunwoo whistles again for Toast but Coffee takes off, barrelling into unsuspecting Hyunwoo’s face.

Changkyun steps aside as Hyunwoo helps Kihyun scrub Toast down in the basin. She howls, Coffee responds, and so do a few other dogs around the neighborhood. He wants to take a photo of Hyunwoo and Kihyun outside together like this, giving the dog a bath together, but instead just watches the scene, heart swelling with hope that Hyunwoo won’t hate them when this is over.

* * *

Shower sex isn’t what it’s cracked up to be. Kneeling in the tub hurts, and not in the way Changkyun likes. Getting water up his nose as he tries to blow Kihyun defeats the whole purpose of blowing him since he can’t breathe through his nose with water running down his face.

After a shower though? The bathroom steamy and smelling fresh, their skin soft, tasting clean, still a little red from the hot water? Much better. And he can open his eyes and look up the expanse of Kihyun’s torso, see his chest as he breathes, see the beautiful angle of his jawline as Kihyun drops his head back as Changkyun works him closer to coming. He gets a little sloppier, a little louder, moans with Kihyun’s dick in his mouth and then gasps as Kihyun grabs his hair in a handful and pulls. Khyun pulls again and Changkyn’s toes curl and he whimpers pathetically, spit collecting in the corners of his mouth and tears coming up as Kihyun grips the shorter hairs on the back of his head and assumes control of the pace of Changkyun’s mouth on him. And Changkyun just gives in, closes his eyes and swallows around Kihyun’s cock and gets hard between his own legs, dropping a hand from Kihyun’s hip to fist himself.

Kihyun warns him softly, thigh shaking under one of Changkyun’s palms, and loosens his grip in case Changkyun wants to pull off. Changkyun doesn’t, and swallows Kihyun’s come as he finishes. Changkyun stands, moans against Kihyun’s lips as they kiss, a little rushed, and then Kihyun switches their position and gets on his knees.

Downstairs, Hyunwoo fiddles with the television remote and Wonho rolls on the floor with the dogs. He pretends to throw the ball for Toast, hiding it behind his back and going, “Where is it?! Where’s the ball?!” And Toast barks in distress.

“She’s onto your games.” Minhyuk laughs from Hyunwoo’s side on the couch. Changkyun notices the narrow gap between their thighs and narrows his gaze at the vampire. Minhyuk has never been shy about his attraction to Hyunwoo, and if he thinks Changkyun will let him get away with making moves on Hyunwoo during this exhausting time, he's actually probably right because Changkyun really appreciates how much Minhyuk has done for Hyunwoo’s comfort and sanity these past few days.

"Where's their squeaky racoon?" Changkyun scans the floor for the toy. It's a little stuffed toy that drives the dogs bonkers.

Wonho helps Changkyun find it, in the laundry room across the kitchen. Changkyun hands the matted thing to Wonho and says, "Have at it." And Wonho squeezes the toy that gives a pitiful wheeze as Wonho closes his hand around it. The sound it makes is enough to make Wonho cackle.

Sure enough, Toast and Coffee come skidding from across the house, crashing into Wonho's ankles and barking as if they were chasing a real racoon. Wonho throws the toy and the pups bound after it.

"I'm so in love with them." Wonho laughs, going into the cabinet to get a glass and fill it with water. They're on day five of being at Kihyun's, and manage through the layout fairly easily and for some reason Changkyun’s rigid with a sudden sense of guilt. He's always wanted this: his friends hanging out normally in Kihyun's house and hopefully, vice versa. And Kihyun had wanted it more than he. But now that they're here and Wonho knows exactly where to get the cups and help himself to a glass of water, it's still not right. Because Kihyun had to practically beg for it to happen and then things went to shit and Changkyun didn’t want Wonho and Hyunwoo to have such an awful introduction to all this.

Wonho and Kihyun throwing the dogs’ chew toy at each in the living room, teasing the dogs, should feel normal. Hyunwoo hovering and peering over Kihyun’s shoulder as he makes dinner should feel normal. But it’s not. It’s getting there, but there’s a cold draft in Changkyun’s direction from his friends, and that’s on him. That’s all his fault.

* * *

Joy is braiding Changkyun’s hair into two french braids on his head. His bangs are long enough to do it. He kind of wants to cut his hair, kind of wants to leave it long for a while, and really likes it when Kihyun tugs on his hair during sex. When it’s this long Kihyun has a lot to grab onto. While Joy runs her fingers through his hair while working on braiding it, Changkyun finds himself nodding off. He can barely keep up with the conversation happening. They’re talking about the hunters, and how it’s been too quiet. There’s no way this is over. All the search parties they've sent out have been a bust. The werewolves can't sniff the hunters out.

“You know they’ll show up to the gala.” Jihyo says, gaze soft on Changkyun dozing. “You good over there?”

“Hng," Changkyun doesn’t bother opening his eyes. Joy giggles and gently scratches at his scalp and he flops his head back against the couch. He loves these girls. He opens his eyes and sees Joy grinning down at him. She squishes his cheeks.

They’re all so chill, considering their situation. Changkyun thinks it shows how strong they all are; how powerful. Joy is nothing but sweet and caring to Changkyun, but he knows she could turn him into a frog, or curse him and his entire family if he ever crossed her. Not that he has anything to worry about; his friendship with the girls is genuine.

“We’ll take care of it at the gala, then. Just be as inconspicuous as possible so the human guests don’t notice.” Hyungwon says, staring straight ahead.

“I can just… y’know.” Joy wiggles her fingers in the air. “Zap ‘em.”

“What does…” Wonho mimics the motion she did. “...Mean?”

“Erase their memories.” Wendy supplies with a smile.

Hyunwoo stiffens. “You can do that?”

Wendy just goes, “Mh-hm!” in a cute perky voice.

That’s their whole plan; lure the hunters in at the gala and turn them into a warning. Just a few more days.

* * *

The car fits five: Kihyun, Changkyun, Wonho, Hyunwoo and Minhyuk. Minhyuk squishes himself between Wonho and Hyunwoo but leans a little more towards Hyunwoo, entertaining both of them with videos on his phone. Changkyun drives in silence, lets some podcast play but he doesn’t listen to it, while Kihyun stares out the window and watches the burroughs pass by. Streetlights flash above their heads, Changkyun hits mostly green lights, and there aren’t many people out on the roads. It’s late on a workday, most people are home. Most people should be home. When they do get to a red light Kihyun says, “Avert your gaze.”

There’s a woman crossing the street, her dress floating around her ankles as she moves and that’s all Changkyun sees. He glances in the mirror and catches the flash of steel in Minhyuk’s eyes, the motion of his hand as Wonho and Hyunwoo do as they’re told. The green light casts down into the car and Changkyun peers over at Kihyun, who gives him a little nod.

“She’s gone.”

Changkyun eases on the gas pedal, the Mercedez humming patiently under his feet. They’re almost at the apartments. They’re going to get a few more things for Hyunwoo and Wonho. Until this is all over, they’re staying at Kihyun’s.

“What was it…?” Wonho asks after they’re down another block, as Changkyun pulls onto a sidestreet that will lead them to the complex.

“A faerie.” Minhyuk explains. “They’re usually harmless, but they don’t like us very much.”

“Better safe than sorry.” Kihyun twists so he can face the boys in the backseat. “They’re very hard to point out when they’re using their glamor.”

Changkyun pulls up by the apartment complex, on the road across the street. Everyone climbs out and he holds the car keys in his hand, chest a little heavy, legs a little weak. Changkyun doesn’t know what isn’t sitting well with him, a bubbling in his guts from food poisoning, or too much alcohol. He thinks he might be getting it from Minhyuk and Kihyun, who sit a beat too long in the car, get out with their chins angled up, eyes scanning the rooftops. Something doesn’t sit right. It could be their connection, the bond Changkyun and Kihyun have formed through these two years together, the secrets they’ve kept and whispered to each other, the secret they keep from the rest of the world. It takes a lot, Changkyun thinks, as he glances at his friends, thinks of the empty dresser back in his bedroom here, as he thinks of the holidays he cuts short, the way he lies to not only his friends but to his parents about Kihyun’s career, their hobbies, their life together. Their life is distant from everyone else’s. Not private. A secret. As a result, Changkyun can read Kihyun like nothing else. So when he senses trepidation pulsing off of Kihyun and Minhyuk, whom he isn’t so intune with, Changkyun’s mind spirals. He reaches out and takes Kihyun’s hand, gives him a little shake, blinks back at Kihyun’s far off smile, and when Kihyun and Minhyuk don’t see it coming, Changkyun definitely doesn’t, either.

An arrow pierces clear through Kihyun’s chest.

Things happen in beats, in the solid _thump._

_Thump._

_Thump._

Of Changkyun’s heartbeat in his ears.

Kihyun’s at his feet. Kihyun’s in his arms. Kihyun’s gasping for breath and clinging to him. Kihyun’s bleeding. Kihyun’s bleeding so fucking much. It’s all down the front of his shirt, between his fingers, dripping down his forearm. He gags for air, and Changkyun doesn’t know how he manages to lug Kihyun up the stairs but his own shirt is soaked in blood when they make it into the apartment, blood slipping between his fingers. It smells so strong.

No one even bothers with putting towels down, but Wonho does run to wet some, Hyunwoo clearing the way, shoving aside the coffee table and haphazardly thrown pillows, so Kihyun can be dropped on the couch. He can’t lay with the arrow through his chest, and he takes in a staggering breath that sounds too much like a last, short and forced.

Changkyun leans over, fingers circling around the arrow. He has no idea what it’s made out of, though wood would be a best guess with the looks of it and what Changyun knows about slaying vampires. He leans forward, hears his heart beat in his ears once more— _thump, thump, thump_ — and curls his fingers around the arrow. He tries to get Kihyun to look at him.

“I need you, hey,” Changkyun’s voice shakes, it stumbles off his tongue, “Love, I need you to break this. Here.” He grips the front, where if Kihyun snapped the wood, Changkyun could pull it through. But Kihyun labors, gasping again, his eyes so, so bright and pained, blood oozing from the wound. He’s unfocused, swaying, an animalistic rumble tumbling from his mouth. And his veins, scarlet and purple and looking bruised through his skin, crawl up his neck.

Changkyun heaves, shoulders shuddering, blinking through tears that run down his face, and Wonho gasps behind him. “Break this. Here.” Changkyun taps impatiently against the arrow. “Please, Kihyun,” His hand comes to the back of Kihyun’s head as he swivels back, breath thinner and thinner, “My love, _please_.” Changkyun gasps for air through a sob, “Please.” Changkyun brings Kihyun’s hand to the arrow. Kihyun needs to break it, or anyone else, is there anyone— Changkyun glances around the room, it’s just him, Wonho and Hyunwoo. Minhyuk went after the hunter, but Changkyun needs him. He’s losing Kihyun. Kihyun’s gaze unfocuses. He gasps, a rough breath in, and curls his hand around the wood. “Yeah, just.” Changkyun wraps his hand around Kihyun’s, and Kihyun’s other hand comes up and Changkyun pulls away. The last thing they need is Kihyun accidently crushing the bones in his fingers.

Kihyun manages to snap the wood with so much force that his body shakes. Changkyun rushes to rip open Kihyun’s shirt, lips twisting into a grimace as he sees the lines of Kihyun’s veins blackened underneath his skin. It’s poison, and it’s seeping into Kihyun’s body. Changkyun rips the back of the arrow out and Kihyun slumps against him with a cry that’s unreal.

“I need… I need— where’s Minhyuk?” Changkyun wraps his arms around Kihyun’s shoulders. “Where’s Minhyuk.” 

There’s nothing he can do about the poison himself. He needs Minhyuk, or a vampire, or— “Mark.”

Mark’s rushing through the doorway, barely closing the apartment door behind him, kneeling at Changkyun’s side and immediately sliding in to take most of Kihyun’s weight. “Minhyuk’s outside with Jaebeom and Jihyo.” Mark says, flashing his golden eyes at Changkyun. “I got this.”

He doesn’t explicitly state for Changkyun to leave but Changkyun gets it loud and clear. He moves aside, ends up on his ass on the carpet and adverts his gaze as Mark leans in to press his lips to the mouth where the poison seeps in. Changkyun gets to his feet and turns to his friends. He reaches up to wipe the tears down Wonho’s face but he’s bloody, blood smeared against his hands, his sleeves, stained down the side of his shirt where Kihyun had leaned against him.

“I’ll get towels.” Hyunwoo powers through the moment, turns to get towels from the bathroom and Wonho gently takes a clean end of Changkyun’s shirt and gives him a tug. Changkyun feels like he shouldn’t leave Kihyun. But there’s nothing he can do with his hands shaking and useless, hot tears streaming down his face. He accepts it when Wonho undresses his shirt and tosses it in the garbage, and he says nothing as Wonho wets a rag at the bathroom sink, and wipes blood off Changkyun’s arms. In the living room, Mark laps up the poison out of Kihyun’s body, his own super-healing form able to handle the poison in a way Kihyun’s body can’t, and Hyunwoo rubs the caked blood off of Kihyun’s hands and neck in a way that Changkyun couldn’t do right now.

* * *

Changkyun doesn’t move from the floor for hours. They’ve moved Kihyun into a lying position, the arrow helpless and shattered on a towel by Changkyun’s feet, and Kihyun looks like he’s sleeping. He has accelerated healing, though it doesn’t compare to a werewolf’s, and it’s slowly working through his body. The veins, as the hours drag on, fade little by little. They go from looking like swollen bruises across his chest and up his neck to faint lines. The steadier Kihyun’s breath gets, the more and more they fade off Changkyun counts the seconds in each rise and fall of Kihyun’s chest until his vision blurs out.

Around six in the morning, Changkyun, Wonho and Hyunwoo call out of work. Wonho ends up falling asleep on the loveseat. Hyungwon drapes a blanket over him.

It seems like every time Changkyun opens his eyes, there’s someone else in the room. Hyungwon and Jooheon, with bags of blood. Mark, Jaebeom and Jihyo, standing proud despite the worry in their brows. Wendy and Joy, who bring incense that smells like garbage sprayed down with lysol. And Changkyun sits on the floor, head craned unnaturally over the edge of the couch.

He needs to be touching Kihyun in some way. For his own well-being. No one bothers to move him.

* * *

Changkyun opens his eyes and sees Kihyun’s red eyes blinking down at him. “Good morning, my love.”

Changkyun nuzzles more into Kihyun’s hand against his cheek, gulping down a breath as he focuses on the sonorous blink of Kihyun’s eyes, eyelashes fluttering against his skin as he struggles to open them back up.

“You scare the absolute shit out of me and all you have to say for yourself is 'good morning'?" Changkyun whispers, pressing his nose into Kihyun’s soft palm, breathing deep. He wants to cry all over again but he's already cried too much. There's nothing left.

Kihyun closes his eyes, takes in a breath Changkyun can hear come in as a little wheeze, “I'm sorry."

Around dawn, Hyungwon had come in to tell him there were bags of blood in the fridge, that Kihyun would need all of them when he woke up. Changkyun lifts his head and blearily looks around. The room’s empty. He thinks he remembers Wonho and Hyunwoo going to bed. He thinks he remembers Jooheon placing this blanket over him. Changkyun tries to get up, bones and joints sore from being slumped against the couch for so long. They’d been too afraid to move Kihyun from the couch. But now that he’s awake, though begrudgingly, Changkyun suggests they move him to the bedroom.

Kihyun barely has the energy to sit up. There’s a scar on his chest, inches from his heart. It’ll go away, eventually. Changkyun will remember what it looked like for the rest of his life. He’ll remember what it looked like and the sound it made as he pulled the arrow out.

Kihyun half-sits against the pillows propped for him, and Changkyun sits on the edge of the bed, leans in and presses a kiss to Kihyun’s forehead. He leans back to pull his sweater off, and Kihyun’s eyes widen a little, still foggy, his nostrils flaring.

“Chang…” His voice fades off and he lifts his head, shaking his head a little. “Changkyun… you don’t…”

“It’s okay.” Changkyun leans forward. He knows that Kihyun has a taste for him. “Feed.”

Kihyun parts his lips, tongue swiping against his canines. “I’m... “

What? He doesn’t finish.

Changkyun scoots closer, tips his head to the side to expose his neck. Kihyun’s hand comes to cradle the side of his face, and there's something so dark in his eyes, so predatory and hungry. He must be starving.

Looking back at their relationship, Changkyun can only think of one time where he feared Kihyun: when they were up on the balcony of Chae Industries, seeing each other for the first time, and Kihyun advanced. But Kihyun never gave Changkyun a reason to fear him, never wanted to hurt him. All Kihyun does is love him unconditionally, revel in every moment they spend together. But here, with the curtains drawn and choking out the early-morning sun, the apartment reticent in emptiness, quiet despite the low growl in the back of Kihyun's throat, with the icy feel of Kihyun's hands curling around Changkyun’s face, Changkyun thinks he feels a pang of that fear he’s forgotten to feel when around Kihyun.

 _Feed_ isn’t the right word Changkyun would’ve used. _Feed_ sounds carnal, off a nature documentary on predator and prey and in all times they’ve done this, Kihyun has never fed. He’s never gone past a taste, even when they were fucking. But right now he has a hand on Changkyun’s neck and jaw, a hand on his waist, that bends Changkyun’s body into a controlled position. His eyes flash dangerously and Changkyun’s heart drops but his head twists into Kihyun’s hold anyway and he closes his eyes and Kihyun sinks his fangs into Changkyun’s neck without preamble. He doesn’t bother with warming the skin, and the initial puncture stings, and then it burns. Changkyun gasps, clenches the blankets because that’s closest to his grasp, and he closes his eyes as Kihyun feeds, curling his fingers around Changkyun’s face and drinking starved, as if all those tastes weren’t enough and now he’s taking whatever he can get. Changkyun, though, parts his lips. His heart and sanity draining out cold as his fingers tingle, as his toes numb. As he gets dizzy, his body trembles under shock. And Kihyun lets go. Changkyun sways back, catches the vile red of his eyes, pupils blown, more black than red. There’s blood smeared around his lips. Kihyun looks at Changkyun, looks everything like the monster he thought Kihyun was that first night, years ago.

And then there’s a hand through his hair and Kihyun licks the red from his lips but he appears so rosy, dusty pink on his cheeks and his eyes pool back over. They’re still red and natural, but less vicious. It’s the red Changkyun’s used to. But his body is weak and he’s sore where Kihyun held him. Too tight. He sways into Kihyun’s chest and Kihyun grips him, kisses the top of his head and buries his face there and it’s wet. Kihyun’s crying.

“Changkyun, my love,” He rushes, a hand carding through Changkyun’s hair. He apologizes shakily, muffling his own horror into Changkyun’s hair, but Changkyun passes out before that.

* * *

It’s later. Changkyun doesn’t know when. It's dark. Nothing makes sense.

Through the darkness, all Changkyun can see are the reds of Kihyun’s eyes. He follows it. Snuggles into Kihyun’s chest and shifts to get comfortable in Kihyun’s arms. Once he’s locked in there, completely surrounded by Kihyun’s embrace, Changkyun closes his eyes and welcomes sleep back.

“I love you more than anything, Changkyunnie.”

Changkyun opens his eyes, closes them once more and buries his face into Kihyun’s chest. He doesn't even think about how he doesn't hear a heartbeat. He's so used to it.

“I love you, too.”

Kihyun holds him a little tighter. Changkyun is officially smushed against him and he loves it. “I love you so much.”

The room gets so quiet it tingles against their skin.

“I’m so," Kihyun's voice cracks. " _So_ sorry.”

"You don't have to be." Changkyun trails his fingers up Kihyun’s spine, but doesn't have the energy to stay awake any longer.

* * *

When Changkyun wakes up a few hours later, probably for good this time, Kihyun’s still holding him. Changkyun knows that Kihyun knows he’s awake, something about his breathing or heart, Kihyun’s explained it, so Changkyun could never get away with pretending to sleep if Kihyun barged angrily into the room, but Kihyun doesn’t say anything. He twirls the hairs on the top of Changkyun’s head. He holds him so, so close. Changkyun gets up to use the bathroom, washes his hands and stands there staring at his reflection as the water runs. Kihyun comes around, glamor all the way up, and turns the faucet off. He doesn’t look Changkyun in the eye. Changkyun isn’t looking, anyway. He’s staring at the bite mark gouged into his neck.

He’s said it before and he’ll say it again: Changkyun trusts Kihyun. No strings, no hesitation. Even with the gnarly bite wounds in his clavicle, even remembering the pain, even knowing that not even the witches can heal this with whatever tricks they have up their sleeves, Changkyun trusts Kihyun. But Kihyun won’t meet his gaze, eyes cast downwards, watery and full of fear. So Changkyun turns around and lifts the arm opposite the wound, he’s sore down his bicep, and reaches out for Kihyun’s hand.

Kihyun startles, hesitating when Changkyun pulls him forward. Closer. Changkyun cradles Kihyun’s face in his and leans forward to press their foreheads together. He looks at Kihyun’s mouth, full of straight white teeth. Human-like teeth, not his teeth. Changkyun shakes his head and drags his thumbs down to the corners of Kihyun’s lips.

“I love you.”

They just breathe, for a moment.

“I’m so sor—”

“I love you.” Changkyun says again, rubbing his thumbs along Kihyun’s lips. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You have nothing to hide.”

Kihyun steps closer to pull him into a hug that Changkyun readily accepts. He's always known that there was a fine print in the terms and conditions of dating a vampire; but Changkyun would argue that those are there even if he dated a human. Because people suck. Kihyun, at least, has lived enough lives to have learned from a million mistakes. Today— tonight— might’ve been a new one for him. He's never been shy about his dating history, tends to have flings with vampires, instead of humans. _It's easier_ , Kihyun’s always said, _I don't have to watch them grow old_. But somehow, he's never found a long lasting relationship with a vampire. Two hundred and sixty years, and he'd been single when he met Changkyun; a human. In his foggiest mind, Changkyun's very aware of the fact.

"Don’t we have a hunter to find." Changkyun doesn't have the energy to move, though. His fingers and toes tingle, asleep.

"You need to eat." Kihyun is able to move. He wraps his arm around Changkyuns waist to support his weight and Changkyun slumps against Kihyun's chest. He needs food and water.

His apartment is empty. He expected there to be people and werewolves and witches. Kihyun helps him to the kitchen table and gingerly sits him down, kisses his forehead and moves across the kitchen to gather the food; rice, noodles in broth, Changkyun thinks he sees chicken in the broth. Kihyun sets a few small plates in front of him, some hard boiled eggs, vegetables. It's not an overwhelming amount of food. It's reasonable and well portioned, Kihyun, or someone else, must've set this up while he slept. Kihyun cuts the egg while Changkyun just lets the warm steam from the broth dance up his nose. The smell alone gives him some energy.

“This is from Joy, you need to drink this." Kihyun places a small bottle in front of him. Changkyun finishes that first in a sip, testing the limits of his stomach. He doesn't think he's eaten in at least twenty four hours. The clock on the counter reads 11:46. It's almost noon.

“Where’s everyone?” He asks, still adjusting to the sunlight but a little appreciative of the silence of the apartment, glad that he wasn’t bombarded.

“Wonho-sshi and Hyunwoo-sshi went to work, though we told them not to, but they said they wanted to do something normal. I don’t blame them.” Kihyun nudges the bowl in front of Changkyun. “The pack went with the witches, and Hyungwon, Jooheon and Minhyuk went to work, to try and keep up appearances.”

Changkyun nods slowly. “I no called no showed today.”

“I know…” Kihyun’s voice shakes a little, and his gaze is a little darty. “I know this isn’t a good time. But. Please quit your job.”

If breathing and lifting a spoon to his mouth weren’t so taxing right now, Changkyun would fight him on this. Again. He doesn’t want to hear it anymore; it was funny the first few times, but now it’s not. It’s not a joke, Changkyun doesn’t want Kihyun to pay for his things, he doesn’t want to sit around and do nothing, be the human house-husband to a vampire. Changkyun is still human, needs a job, something to pay his damn bills with.

“At least for a little while. Until it’s safe. And then you can re-apply for jobs but right now there are hunters who are after you, morally-inept hunters that prey on humans, for fuck’s sake. They don’t follow the hunter code and once I can get my hands on them-” Kihyun looks down, blinks a little too fast, like he’s surprised of where his own thoughts went. “Please eat.”

Changkyun does. He lifts the spoon to his mouth and the broth is still a little too hot but it feels good down his throat. He can feel it in his belly. It doesn’t really settle, though. “What are you gonna do when you get your hands on them?” He sips up the broth, chews on the piece of chicken. Stares Kihyun down.

“I don’t know.” Kihyun runs his hands through his hair and rubs at his face. “Hyungwon… wants to turn them into a statement.”

“Like a, kill them and leave them as a warning kind of statement?”

“We shouldn’t talk about this while you’re eating.”

Changkyun mixes the rice with the broth. Having a plan is better than having none, though, and having one gives him a little more energy.

Wonho and Hyunwoo are all over him, as he expected. His neck is bruised, an open wound where Kihyun bit him, dug his teeth into his neck to feed. Wonho visibly shutters up, goes a little white when he sees it, since Changkyun is too tired to bother to really cover it. Kihyun insisted they put a patch on it, but honestly, who cares at this point. Changkyun doesn’t. As the day goes on and Kihyun continuously makes sure he’s fed, and drinking water, and even Hyungwon drops by with some fruits and ginseng drinks, Changkyun gains back his strength little by little. Things are less foggy by the evening, and by the night, he’s not quite ready to go to sleep. But when Kihyun tucks him in and holds him, kisses him repeatedly on his temple, sleep lures Changkyun back in, swaddling him warmly.

* * *

They decide to keep the gala open, like a beacon for the hunters. The plan is to station the wolves at the entrance like bodyguards to let in the hunters. It’s a very public place, the Chae Clan always makes their appearance, so as long as the hunters don’t make it to the ballroom, the guests will be safe. And the hunters will be pulled aside and ‘taken care of’ were the words Hyungwon used.

By the night of the gala, Changkyun is feeling much better, he’s back to his normal self and has been for days now. Hyunwoo and Wonho have accepted this as their norm, as well. The three of them get ready at Jooheon’s apartment, where they stayed last night. While Minhyuk and Kihyun live in the same neighborhood, only a few properties apart, Jooheon lives in a high rise in the center of Seoul. A packed apartment building twenty-odd stories up is the perfect unreachable perch for the humans.

Hyunwoo comes into the living room in a navy tux, Changkyun’s mouth drops. “Whoa.”

“Minhyuk-sshi purchased and tailored it for me.” Hyunwoo blushes, patting down the front of his suit. Changkyun doesn’t know anything about fabrics except for this shit looks pricey.

“What’s going on… between you two?” Wonho asks, rubbing the lapel between his pointer and thumb to feel the texture.

“I don’t know.” Hyunwoo mumbles, looking up quickly when the doorbell rings.

It’s Hyungwon, and Wonho still gets a little gaga over the business celebrity and makes a funny little whining noise when Hyungwon comes in to give Changkyun a friendly hug.

“I have a personal delivery from Minhyuk.” Hyungwon smiles at Hyunwoo and extends the little gift bag. Hyunwoo bows a little as he takes it, and Changkyun’s surprised that Hyungwon, the man behind a multi-billion dollar international company, would personally deliver a gift from Minhyuk to Hyunwoo.

It’s cologne, in a glass bottle that’s shaped elegantly, the color looking amber in the apartment lighting.

“Okay. What’s your relationship with Minhyuk? Seriously.” Wonho leans in to sniff the cologne.

“What type of sugar-baby shit is this?” Changkyun smirks, and Hyunwoo blushes as Wonho gapes, claps in glee.

“He’s not- we’re not.” Hyunwoo blushes and walks away to the room Jooheon let them crash in, mumbling about using it in private. Hyungwon’s eyes scan up Wonho’s body when he’s not looking, and when Changkyun catches him ogling he realizes, oh, that’s why Hyungwon’s here, and all Hyungwon does is smile that he’s been caught.

“If you’re ready, we can all head out. I’ll escort you tonight to the gala.” Hyungwon looks so tall and handsome in the doorway, in clothes that accentuate how long he is, in a deep colored shirt that shows off how flawless his skin really is.

Wonho nods quickly. “Yeah, you’re driving?”

Hyungwon smiles at him, just a really sweet curl of his pink lips. Wonho beams at him, and Hyungwon asks, “Can I have a dance with you tonight?”

Changkyun slips away to find Hyunwoo, leaving a stuttering Wonho to Hyungwon’s mercy. He finds Hyunwoo in the room, staring down at the cologne bottle.

“What’s wrong with it, hyung? Does it stink?”

“No,” Hyunwoo places it down on the dresser, looks himself in the mirror one more time. “It’s the one I liked… Minhyuk-sshi took me to the shopping center the other day, he said I seemed stressed, and we spent all afternoon just browsing.”

“Minhyuk-hyung kinda scares the shit out of me.” Changkyun confesses with a laugh.

“I’m not… scared of them. But there’s something about Minhyuk that makes me feel so comfortable.”

Changkyun studies Hyunwoo’s expression in the mirror. “Do you like him, hyung?”

Hyunwoo has always been picky with his dates, which sometimes, Changkyun thinks is a good thing. Hyunwoo wants someone that’s serious about him. He isn’t a serial dater, isn’t looking to just fool around. It’s been a little while since his last relationship, and though it lasted less than a year, Hyunwoo said it was good. He doesn’t speak maliciously about his exes. He ends on good terms with all of them. “I do. But I don’t know…”

“Don’t know… if a vampire is something you’re interested in?”

“I’d be a hypocrite for dating a vampire when I got so mad at you for it.” Hyunwoo looks up at Changkyun. “Sorry.”

Changkyun shrugs. “Character growth, hyung. Minhyuk-hyung’s really nice to you.” He really thinks Minhyuk is being genuine with Hyunwoo.

“Changkyun-ah…” He looks up at the sound of his name. “I’m not sorry I got mad at you.” Yeah, Changkyun can’t blame him. “But seeing you with someone that loves you so much, and seeing you love him back… I’m happy for you. And I love you, a lot. I want…” Hyunwoo places the bottle down. “I want a fucking vacation.” Changkyun laughs a little. Yeah, he does, too. “And then I just want us to continue on. I don’t want to lose you over this.”

Changkyun nods, biting back tears. “Can I have a hug?”

“Of course,” Hyunwoo comes in for a bear hug. He gives some of the best hugs.

“I love you, hyung.”

“You too, Changkyunnie.”

* * *

It’s not every year that the gala does a theme, except for it being fancy as all hell every time.

This year, Changkyun enters with Kihyun leading him in, hooked around his arm like his expensive date. He sort of hates that he is, but he also loves the looks the people give them when they walk in, the stunned glances, the whispers that he knows are good, people saying they’re handsome, they’re a good couple, Changkyun is the same date from the year before, the date that Kihyun shows off at work, the date that Kihyun has photos of all over his desk. Changkyun is the sweet little human that Kihyun wants to show off all the time, wants to bring him everywhere, give him absolutely everything. It makes Changkyun feel powerful, in a way. Untouchable. Priceless. Beautiful. It’s Kihyun that makes him feel this way. Maybe, just for tonight, Changkyun doesn’t mind being a sugar baby to the wealthy vampire Yoo Kihyun. How’s that sentence even a summary of his life?

He puffs out his chest a little, smiles when Kihyun tugs on their linked arms, to get his attention. In the middle of this room, with other supernaturals, other beauties, Kihyun looks at Changkyun, makes him his center, and Changkyun glows. How can he tell Kihyun that he’s his everything?

“You look amazing, my love.” Kihyun says against his ear, and then kisses there. Changkyun grins and flops his head against Kihyun’s shoulder.

They make their rounds of hello’s first, meet important designers, models that make Changkyun’s knees weak, moguls of conglomerates that smile with mouths full of sharp teeth, or eyes that flash yellow in the dim lighting. Changkyun looks up at the chandeliers and remembers that first night he walked in two years ago, can’t believe that he’d been looking for an opportunity and then got the adventure his life is now.

The night goes well, at a steady pace. Changkyun spots Hyungwon and Wonho at one point, Hyungwon making Wonho all smiley. And he sees Hyunwoo with Minhyuk off to the side, whatever they’re talking about has Minhyuk up in arms and Hyunwoo is smiling, sitting on a chair with his legs crossed, looking expensive and happy with a champagne flute in his hands.

As it gets later and guests go from mingling to dancing, Changkyun spots Mark across the dance floor. Mark gestures with his chin, raises an eyebrow, and Changkyun gives Kihyun a small nudge. He’s talking to Jihyo, Changkyun has zoned them out, and Kihyun turns to immediately give Changkyun his attention.

“Mark-hyung’s looking for you.”

Kihyun looks up, slips his arm from Changkyun’s, slides their hands together so he can part with a kiss to the back of Changkyun’s palm. Kihyun slips by Hyungwon and Wonho on the dance floor, tips his head to murmur something that has Hyungwon bowing in an apology, and Wonho’s smile fades away. It ends up being Changkyun and Wonho off to the side, with Jihyo. She smiles at them, and greets Hyunwoo as he comes over, too.

“What’s going on?” Hyunwoo asks, slipping between Changkyun and Wonho, who are practically shoulder to shoulder. Changkyun’s gut twists as Kihyun does one last glance over his shoulder before exiting the room. Kihyun’s almost looking at him with an apology in his eyes.

“Wolves caught the hunters surrounding the building.” Jihyo says with a terse smile.

There’s a flash of blood, of an arrow, of the hole in Kihyun’s chest and the dull throb of pain in his eyes, that flashes through Changkyun’s memory. He clenches his jaw and blinks back tears, fear wrapping around his neck like a snake.

Bouncy flute music swings through the ballroom. Changkyun’s never felt so bound, useless and helpless.

* * *

Everyone knows what happened, but no one says anything. And later that night, after everyone’s home and showered, shaking off the ghosts of Chae Industries, Changkyun climbs into Kihyun’s lap and just holds him, looks him in the face as if trying to figure out if Kihyun was the one to do it, but realizes, as Kihyun wraps an arm around his waist and guides him in to kiss him, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter who did it. It’s done, and they’re safe.

“I’d do anything to keep you safe, my love.” Kihyun is warm; fresh after a drink, warm.

“I know.” Changkyun whispers, carding a hand through his hair and kissing him. He doesn’t want anything more, just this, just the feeling of Kihyun’s hands securely on his waist, Kihyun kissing him with promises and passion, Kihyun holding him, cradling him, and Changkyun pushing back. It’s after midnight, the world is quiet, asleep, on hold. It’s just Changkyun and Kihyun: how it should be.

“Runaway with me, just for a little bit.” Kihyun says between their lips, a hand sliding up Changkyun’s back, ruffling his oversized sleep shirt. Changkyun pulls back, needs to take a deep breath.

“Where?”

“I don’t know, anywhere.” Kihyun presses his lips to Changkyun’s neck, pulling him closer. Changkyun’s knees press against the back of the couch, their chests bump.

“I’ve never…” Changkyun could name any place in the world and Kihyun would take him there. Absolutely anywhere. He dips his head back as Kihyun kisses along his jawline. “I’ve never been to Europe.”

“I’ll take you.” Kihyun sounds a little rushed, kisses with more urgency. “We’ll go to Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, Greece...” Kihyun mouths at Changkyun’s collarbones. “We’ll get a hotel with a balcony that opens up to a view of the Eiffel Tower in France, and a view of the ocean in Italy…” Changkyun blinks up at the ceiling, his heart trying to escape from his chest. He tries to be rational, tries not to picture the views, the breakfasts in bed, the thrill of early mornings, maybe he can Kihyun can watch the sun rise in different countries, have sex as it sets. Kihyun looks so beautiful bathed in sunlight. Kihyun looks so beautiful when he lets his red eyes gleam, the night spread out behind him.

“I have… work in two days,” _Be rational, be rational._ “You have to work.”

“I can get as much time off as I want. Hyungwon’s my boss, he doesn’t care. And you, quit.” Kihyun’s hands slide up his sides, get rougher, their kissing making Changkyun a little hazy. “I’ll take care of you.” Kihyun slips sideways, pulls Changkyun on top. His robe slips open a little from the movement and Changkyun slips his hands underneath it, exposing more of Kihyun’s shoulders but not fully taking it off and Kihyun tugs on Changkyun's sleep shirt. It’s all he’s wearing, so he pulls it off, his damp hair falling into his face. His hair is getting so long it curls out at the ends. Kihyun reaches up to tuck it behind his ear, it’s long enough it stays. And Kihyun rubs the back of his knuckles against Changkyun’s cheekbones. “Let me take care of you, my love.”

Changkyun doesn’t need anything else; Kihyun will willingly give him everything. Changkyun leans down to kiss him, gated and slow- until it’s not. Until their hands are a little desperate and they’re uncoordinated, open mouth and messy and hard against each other, and Kihyun whispers, “Fuck me, please.”

They leave his robe hooked around his elbows, underneath them, to not make a mess on the couch while they fuck.

“I want to be with you.” Changkyun bites at Kihyun’s earlobe, makes him moan and tighten around him. The pressure feels so good around his cock. Kihyun always feels so fucking good. _I want to be with you forever._

Changkyun thrusts harder; he wants to give Kihyun so much more, but doesn’t know how. He wants to prove to Kihyun that he’s all he wants, but doesn’t know how. He grabs Kihyun’s hand, the one that is in his hair and holds it, interlaces their fingers and presses it to the cushions above Kihyun’s head. Kihyun tips his head back, his legs slipping from Changkyun’s waist. They’re messy, Changkyun’s dripping from the tip inside Kihyun, fucking with all he can give, letting Kihyun bury his face into his neck where his heart’s pounding, where he probably smells the best, right now; his flowery soap and sweat and skin and blood. It’s making Kihyun crazy, as he squeezes Changkyun’s hand and Changkyun changes angles, Kihyun shifts a little, rutting against him to find his prostate, to get his dick to rub and smear his precome all over Changkyun’s stomach. When Kihyun finds it his voice breaks, he moans thinly and holds on tighter, and Changkyun fucks him into that one spot, drilling him into the couch and he can feel Kihyun shake underneath him, his thighs tightening around him, aborting his movement, keeping the thrusts shallow and sloppy. Kihyun whimpers, buries his nose into Changkyun’s pulse point, he can feel the press, feel the pulse of his own stampeding heart.

“Go ahead, Ki.” Changkyun tips his head to the side, fighting back his orgasm. Just a little more, Kihyun’s almost there, too, and he pinches his fangs into Changkyun's neck, drinks only a little, and Changkyun comes messy, his entire body surging heat. He can’t remember when was the last time he came so hard, so overwhelmed, feeling himself spill outside of Kihyun, too, fucking through his orgasm and gasping as Kihyun tightens around him, coming. Kihyun blinks up at him, his eyes a little watery, licking his lips. His lip gets caught on his teeth, and he’s too dazed to do anything about it for a second. They really don’t move for a little while.

“So. Was that a yes?” Changkyun laughs and presses his face against the side of Kihyun’s. He takes a deep breath.

“Yeah. I want to be with you. Forever.”

Kihyun stops. Looks at him. Fully processes that _forever_. And kisses him. 

They pack a few suitcases, get to the airport, and Kihyun says, “Two for France, two dogs, too.” The woman behind the counter gives them a look as Changkyun slides his hand into Kihyun’s. “One-way.”

* * *

Kihyun gets them to the French countryside, and it’s so far up in the hills it’s like a dream. Changkyun’s never been out of Seoul, has never seen so much damn green in his life, but it’s absolutely beautiful and he can’t stop looking at it. He has the window rolled down and his head out like Coffee and Toast in the backseat. “Are they gonna have a lot of yard to run in?” Changkyun laughs at the drool staining dropping down the side of the car. Coffee’s super excited about the fresh air and open window.

“Oh, yeah. We’re on acres of land. We’ll have to be careful not to lose them.”

They’re staying at Hyungwon’s place, because he owns a cottage in the middle of nowhere, France, and it’d be the perfect place for Changkyun to get settled. They considered staying in Korea, because Kihyun has a house in a more suburban area, he also considered just buying a house in the middle of nowhere. But Changkyun decided he wants to do it this way. Eventually, they’ll head back to Seoul. But Changkyun wants peace and quiet and just Kihyun while he transitions. He wants his friends to visit them when he’s not so blood-thirsty. Kihyun says it’ll take a few weeks to adjust to his new body, new senses, and then after that they’ll tour, and they’ll take Toast and Coffee out on walks around the Eiffel Tower and they’ll go to Germany and Switzerland and make their way back East. They’ll go back to Kihyun’s house in Seoul, and Hyungwon will let Changkyun have a secretary job for a few decades, or so, or wherever else he wants to work.

They enjoy a few nights as Changkyun still a human, he tastes wine for the last time, he lets Kihyun drink from him one last time, and for his last meal he just says, _surprise me._ So Kihyun travels hours to get him pastries and sweets, filled breads and sweet breads and Changkyun eats until he gets his very last stomach ache. He calls Wonho, who’s adapted very well, says he’s excited, he’ll see him in a few weeks, and Changkyun swears he hears Hyungwon in the background. Good, if anyone will treat Wonho the way he deserves, it’s Hyungwon.

Hyunwoo doesn’t pick up. His phone is off.

“He went to South America with Minhyuk-sshi. I’ll send him a text.”

Changkyun looks up from his phone. “I’m sorry he _what_?”

“It’s not romantic.” Kihyun says, typing on his phone. “Hyunwoo-sshi said he was overwhelmed and Minhyuk told him he was going on vacation and that’s… that.”

Changkyun puts his phone down. He kneels on the side of the bed, wondering if the comforter will feel the same after the bite, wondering if he’ll see Kihyun the same. He wonders how he’ll look with red eyes and a mouthful of fangs. Seulgi and Irene had given them herbs and pouches of rocks and candles to place around the room. Kihyun locked Toast and Coffee out of the bedroom, and earlier they’d been scratching at the door, but have since given up. Changkyun feels bad, but he doesn't want them here for this.

Changkyun sits on the bed while Kihyun places the candles in a circle around the bed, something about how the lights and scents will help calm him when he opens his eyes for the first time. Seulgi had been half-asleep when they explained it, hair a mess, cranky she’d been woken up at two in the morning for Changkyun and Kihyun’s shenanigans. Kihyun sits across from Changkyun, cross legged in front of him. He seems much more nervous than Changkyun, who’s about to be bitten.

“You’ve done this before.” Changkyun reminds himself out loud.

Kihyun nods. “Yeah.” He runs both hands through Changkyun’s hair. Holds him by the back of his head and leans forward to press their foreheads together. Before he can say anything, Changkyun laughs a little.

“I’m not changing my mind.” Changkyun kisses him. “I love you.” He kisses him again, softly. “Forever.”

“I think you understand now how much I love you, Changkyunnie.” Kihyun whispers, looking deeply into Changkyun’s eyes.

He kisses him one last time, leaves a dusting of kisses down his neck, to his pulse point, where he licks and wets the spot, warms it with his mouth. He finds both of Changkyun's hands, holds onto them tight, and then sinks his teeth in into Changkyun's neck.

“What is it?”

Kihyun has both his hands over Changkyun’s eyes, guiding him down the hallway.

“You’ll see.”

Changkyun tries to listen, but all he hears is Toast and Coffee outside chewing on the peanut butter snacks, he hears the birds outside, hears the cars pass on the streets; rubber rolling over pavement. Someone that drives by needs a new timing belt. Or, at least, Changkyun thinks they drive by? He’s still figuring out distance, and location. Kihyun sometimes has him close his eyes and tells him to focus, to listen to the sounds, how loud, how blurry. Kihyun can say something’s a kilometer away and it’s a kilometer away. Changkyun hasn’t gotten that down yet. Anyway. He’s not supposed to be focusing on some timing belt. He’s supposed to be focusing on whatever Kihyun got him.

Even as a vampire, Kihyun just drowns him in gitfs. It’s reassuring to know things haven’t changed; that Kihyun loves him just as much as he always has, that their love adapts as things change.

“Open the door.” Changkyun calls it a Spidey-sense and though Kihyun’s getting used to it, he insists it’s called sixth sense. Because Changkyun knows where the door handle is. He can’t see because of Kihyun’s hands, but there’s a shift in the air that Changkyun _feels_ , holds his hand out for a second to gain an understanding, not an image, of what’s in front of him, and he reaches for the cool door handle. He pushes the door open and tips his head to the side.

This was the guest room, there was a bed, a dresser, but now everything’s muffled. The air feels different, heavier.

"I don’t…” Changkyun blinks as Kihyun removes his hands.

“Ta-da!”

It’s a recording studio, small and personal, padded, a counter of buttons, a brand new computer, a fancy leather couch. Changkyun swivels his head, looking at Kihyun in confusion.

“This… is for me…?”

“I had it installed when we were in Japan.” Kihyun excitedly swings past him, taps at the monitor. “This is all the newest equipment I could find, Hyunwoo and Wonho suggested-” Kihyun points to the wall of photos. Changkyun steps closer to the wall, covered in framed photos of his life. Kihyun went and personally found frames, printed all these out, went through the trouble of reaching out to Changkyun’s best friends to get photos of his life, from his human life, specifically, and some photos of him and Kihyun on their Europe trip after he turned. His human life wasn’t that long ago, and it doesn’t feel like that long ago, but looking at the photos makes him nostalgic for the time that passed. Time moves slower when it isn’t running out.

Changkyun touches some photos, runs his fingers over the glass, takes in the shape of the chair; there’s three, for himself or visitors, Changkyun doesn’t know. There’s a smaller desk to the side, shelves, and he touches the keyboard, and Kihyun excitedly bounces to his side.

“It lights up like a rainbow.”

“That’s so gay.” Changkyun laughs, a hand slipping around Kihyun’s waist. Kihyun presses against him, staring at his face.

“Just like you.” Kihyun smiles, arms slinging around Changkyun’s shoulders. Kihyun’s not gay, but still very queer, as he says, because he has a broad dating history; werewolves included.

“Do you like it…?” Changkyun looks up from the dual monitors to look at Kihyun. He stiffens a little in anticipation, his eyebrow arching slightly, lips curling into an apprehensive little smile.

“I love it. Why a recording studio, though?” Changkyun murmurs, leaning in to give him a kiss. This must’ve cost so much money.

“Because you like to do this stuff.” Even when he was a human, Changkyun found himself straying farther from this hobby.

“It’s… been a while.”

“Yeah, and you were good. I sent some of your old stuff to SM.” Changkyun slowly twists to look from the keyboard to his boyfriend. “And they liked it. You’re good at songwriting, you have some notes in your phone and-”

“You did _what_?”

Kihyun pats his chest. “Write and compose a song for EXO for me.”

Changkyun’s jaw drops. “They liked my old shit?”

“Yes-”

“How do you even know anyone in— oh.” Vampires, there’s probably a vampire in SM. Kihyun just gives him an _are you really going to ask that question_ look and Changkyun drops it.

“So.” Kihyun wiggles closer. “Do you like it?”

Changkyun can still cry as a vampire and it totally ruins the badass creepy creature of the night vibe he wishes he could go for.

“You like it.” Kihyun says happily, cupping his chin and kissing the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you…”

“You said you wanted to pick it back up, and what better time than now? When you have forever?”

Changkyun kisses Kihyun, then kisses him again and grins and lifts him up, Kihyun’s legs coming around his waist. Changkyun holds him, Kihyun arching over him so they can kiss, open mouthed and heavy right from right from the start.

“I want you to do something that makes you happy." Kihyun says, and Changkyun feels more and more. "You were so miserable at your old job. If sitting behind a desk at a nine to five isn’t doing it, I can support you while you try something else.” Kihyun kisses him a little slower, meaningful. And, well, Changkyun _feels_ , feels a lot, loves his boyfriend a lot. He knows the warmth in his chest isn’t real, not anymore, but Kihyun fuels the happiness and sparks that little fire in his soul.

“I love you.” Changkyun holds on a little tighter.

“I love you, too.” Changkyun drops Kihyun on the couch and climbs over him, caging him into a hug that makes Kihyun laugh and squirm. “I'm going to write you a _thousand_ love songs."

**Author's Note:**

> even though changkyun and shownu did patch up some of their friendship here, shownu needed to run away and disappear for a little while with minhyuk so he could come back and actually be good again so him, changkyun and wonho can be best friends again. and while it's not romantic here, shownu and minhyuks relationship turns romantic and they end up dating. so do hoseok and hyungwon.


End file.
